NEW LONDON, Conn. – The Connecticut College volleyball team fell to Amherst by a 3-1 decision in NESCAC action on Friday evening at the Charles B. Luce Fieldhouse. Despite being challenged for much of the evening, the Mammoths won by set scores of 25-18, 25-13, 23-25, and 25-20.

The opening set was competitive at the start, and the Camels only found themselves down 8-7 following a kill by sophomore Emma Wheeler (Meredith, N.H.). However, the Mammoths rattled off six straight to establish control. The margin grew to seven at 22-15 on a service ace by Jamie Dailey, and Caroline Tilton ended it with a kill.
 
The Camels scored the first three points and four of the opening five to begin the second set, but Amherst (9-1, NESCAC 4-1) came back and most notably rode a 7-0 run to earn the lead and force the hosts to take a timeout with the visitors ahead 12-7. The Mammoths never looked back en route to posting a 12-point set win.
 
In a frame which featured eight ties and three lead changes, Connecticut College fought back and extended the game by winning the third set. Trailing 19-16, the Camels did not give up and ended the set by scoring three straight points. Junior Annie Wibbelsman (Pacific Palisades, Calif.) and senior Avery Light (Sudbury, Mass.) teamed up for a block to tie the score at 23s before Wheeler and Light registered back-to-back kills to conclude the frame and keep the game going.
 
Amherst, however, recovered and took the next set by five to capture the overall match. The Mammoths built up an 11-5 lead on a kill by Dailey, and the visitors were able to hold off several attempted rallies from the hosts. A Camel attack which fell short and into the net secured the win for the Mammoths.
 
Dailey paced three Amherst players with double-digit kills by recording 14 on 53 swings. She also added 21 digs to complete a double-double. Setter Carly Cooper also had a double-double with 44 assists and 14 digs, while Tilton and Sophie Launsbach notched 13 and 12 kills, respectively.
 
Junior Christina Leduc (Mendon, Mass.) and Wheeler paced Connecticut College with 13 kills apiece, while Wheeler posted a double-double by also recording 11 digs. Freshman Julia Dailey (Charlottesville, Va.) and junior Nicolette Marino (Verona, N.J.) added 27 and 13 digs, respectively, and Light and Wibbelsman tallied three blocks apiece. Sophomore Natasha Shrivastava (San Diego, Calif.) dished out 40 assists.
 
Connecticut College (4-6, NESCAC 1-5) will next host Middlebury tomorrow afternoon at 2 p.m. Light will also be recognized for her contributions to the program prior to the match.