NEW LONDON, Conn. – The Connecticut College women's volleyball team kicked off Fall Weekend with a 3-1 victory over Amherst College on Friday night in a NESCAC match-up at Luce Field House.

Rae Wartelle (Tacoma, Wash.) posted a career-high 26 kills and hit .465 to lead the Camels to their first win over the Mammoths since 2016. Conn won by set scores of 25-20, 25-19, 36-38 and 25-18.

Riley Lord (Exeter, N.H.) added a double-double of 14 kills and 13 digs while Amanda Kreidler (Aliso Viejo, Calif.) and Katherine Randall (Chicago, Ill.) chipped in nine kills apiece. Josie Kelly (Solana Beach, Calif.) had the offense firing on all cylinders with a season-high 59 assists.

In the opening set, Conn didn't lead until a block by Lord and Evie Lockwood Mullaney (Needham, Mass.) yielded a 19-18 advantage. The Camels followed up by taking five of the next six points—a stretch that included a pair of service aces by Taylor Merrifield (Honolulu, Hawaii)—and then closed out the set on a kill by Wartelle.

The second set was tight until Conn exploded for an 8-0 run that featured two kills and a block by Wartelle and another ace by Merrifield. Amherst used two timeouts to try to stop the momentum, but the end result was a 17-10 lead for the hosts. The Camels then coasted to the finish and went up 2-0 in the match. 

Amherst outlasted Conn in a wild third set that included seven set points and seven match points. The Camels squandered four match points as the Mammoths fought to stay alive, and then the two sides traded blows to see who would seize control. After Amherst went up 34-33, Conn fought off three set points thanks to a kill by Zoe Watts (Chicago, Ill.) and two from Randall. However, Sofia Camilo pushed the Mammoths across the finish with a pair of kills to force a fourth set.

The Camels didn't waste time sulking and quickly jumped out to an 8-4 lead in the final stanza. After Amherst rallied back to tie the score at 11-11, Conn ripped off 10 straight points on Merrifield's serve to put the match out of reach. Merrifield supplied three aces during the spurt while Wartelle dominated at the net with four kills. The Camels later picked up their final three points on swings by Wartelle to sew up the victory. Merrifield finished her night with a career-high six aces to go with a match-high 26 digs. 

Camilo paced Amherst (10-7 overall, 1-6 NESCAC) with 10 kills while Charlotte Rasmussen and Kinsey Cronin added eight apiece.

Conn (12-6 overall, 2-5 NESCAC) will next host Hamilton College on Saturday, October 19 at 2:00 p.m.