Box Score Recap courtesy of Amherst College
AMHERST – Junior Nicole Gould registered a team-high 13 kills to lead four Amherst College players in double-digits in the category as the hosts erased a 2-0 deficit in the match to post a thrilling 3-2 (23-25, 23-25, 25-14, 25-23, 15-10) victory over NESCAC rival Tufts University on Saturday afternoon at LeFrak Gymnasium.
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| Maddie Kuppe finished the weekend with 45 kills in two NESCAC matches |
With the win, Amherst extends its unbeaten record to 7-0 overall, 2-0 in NESCAC play. Tufts moves to 4-3 on the season, 1-1 in league action.
Trailing 2-0 in the match following a pair of narrow, 25-23 victories by Tufts in the first two sets, Amherst responded with a strong third frame that saw the Purple & White build on a 14-10 lead with a stretch of six straight points to set the score at 20-10. The Jumbos answered with a run of their own as Mckenzie Humann and Kyra Baum downed a kill each to help pull Tufts to within eight at 22-14. A kill by Gould and an assisted block by sophomore Marialexa Natsis and senior Nicole Carter allowed Amherst to take the third set, 25-14.
A back-and-forth fourth stanza saw the sides battle to 10 tie scores and seven lead changes with neither team holding more than a five-point advantage. After junior Maggie Danner knotted the set for the 10th time (23-23), Tufts suffered a pair of attacking errors as the Purple & White clinched the frame and evened the match at two sets apiece.
The fifth set saw Amherst bolt out to an 8-2 lead following a tandem block by Natsis and Gould. Tufts used a 5-1 run capped by a kill from Alexandra Wood to pull the Jumbos to within two at 9-7, but a kill by Danner and two miscues by the visitors pushed the Purple & White lead back to four at 12-7. A kill by Tufts' Maddie Kuppe set the score at 14-10 in favor of Amherst before Danner and senior Samantha Newby delivered the team's 12th block of the match to complete the hard-fought, come-from-behind win.
Carter dished out 46 assists, notched eight digs, and served up three aces, while senior Lizzie Ahern finished with 12 kills, three assisted blocks and one solo stuff. Danner and Natsis added 10 kills each, while Newby chipped in seven kills. Newby and Danner were also stellar at the net registering five assisted blocks each, while Natsis added four
Senior Katie Warshaw led Amherst with 29 digs, followed by 14 from junior Kelci Keeno, and 10 each from Newby, sophomore Asha Walker, and freshman Hayes Honea.
Kuppe led all hitters with 22 kills, and contributed 18 digs in the loss for the Jumbos, while Humann followed with 10 kills. Alexandra Garrett led all players with 34 digs, Sara Wojciechowski added 10, and Katie Kim and Baum tallied nine each. Humann and Ahrens notched six and five assisted blocks respectively, while Baum dished out 31 of Tufts' 52 assists.
Amherst returns to NESCAC action Wednesday evening when it travels to Little III rival Williams College for a 7 pm match. Tufts hosts Connecticut College next Friday night at Cousens Gym starting at 7 pm.
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