Women's Volleyball Falls to Amherst in Non-Conference Tilt

AMHERST, Mass. – Amherst College first-year setter Charlotte Duran dished out 17 helpers and notched 10 digs to lift the Purple & White to a 3-0 (25-13, 25-18, 25-17) sweep of the Regis (Mass.) women's volleyball team in Thursday evening's non-conference match at LeFrak Gymnasium.

With the win, Amherst improves to 12-6 on the season, while Regis moves to 10-14 overall. The Purple & White begin Hall of Fame Invitational action Friday, Oct. 21 with a 7:30 p.m. matchup against Bridgewater State University at LeFrak Gymnasium. 

In the opening set, Amherst built an early 10-3 lead following a stretch of nine straight points capped by a Maggie Danner '17 kill. Regis rallied to score the next three points as Rachel Bartels (Edinburg, Texas) and Stephanie Carter (Jupiter, Fla.) each downed a kill, and used an attacking error by the Purple & White to pull to within four at 10-6. Amherst then scored 10 unanswered points to stake a 20-6 lead that was highlighted by a stretch of three straight kills by Nicole Gould '17, and three consecutive service aces from Asha Walker '18. The Pride then scored seven of the next 11 points to pull to within 24-13, but a service error allowed the hosts to seal the first set, 25-13.

The second set saw the sides battle to nine ties and a 12-12 score before Amherst used and 8-3 run to take a 20-15 lead in the frame. Regis later narrowed its deficit to four when Bartels and Shay Faber (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) teamed for an assisted block to set the score at 22-18, but that's as close as the Pride could get, as Annika Reczek '18 smashed a kill and then combined with Adelaide Shunk '20 on a block to give Amherst a 24-18 lead. Gould closed out the set with a service ace to give her squad a 2-0 lead in the contest.

The third stanza featured back-and-forth action early, before Amherst pulled away to a 24-15 advantage following a powerful strike from Claire Dennis '20. Regis fought off three match points as Kayla Nystedt (Onamia, Minn.) notched a kill, while Crystina Lathrop (Houston, Texas) floored an ace to make it 24-17. An attacking error on the ensuing play allowed Amherst to complete the sweep.

MATCH NOTES

• Gould led all hitters with 10 kills, while Danner finished with nine to help steer the offensive efforts. Marialexa Natsis '18, and Emily Kolsky '20 contributed seven and six kills respectively, while Duran dished out three aces in addition to her 17 assists and 10 digs.

• Kate Bres '17 finished with nine assists in the winning effort, while Hayes Honea '19 tied for the match high in digs with 12. Walker posted four service aces to go along with six digs.

• Regis was led by Carter who notched seven kills, while Sydney Trusty (Durham, Conn.) and Katryna Veasey (Quincy, Mass.) earned five kills each. Faber dished out 20 assists and added six digs, while Carter also secured a tie for the match high in digs with 12. Lathrop chipped in nine digs in the losing effort for the Pride.

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Recap courtesy of Amherst College Athletic Communications.