CLINTON, N.Y. – Hamilton College's Kate Carman '24 hammered 17 kills and the Continentals rallied for a five-set win against the Amherst College Mammoths in a NESCAC match played at Hamilton's Margaret Bundy Scott Field House on Friday, Sept. 15.
 

Season Update

• The Continentals won their third straight match and improved to 4-1 overall. This was their conference opener.
• Amherst (2-4, 0-1) dropped its third match in a row.

 

How It Happened

• In the decisive fifth set the score was tied at 3-3, and then Hamilton took control by scoring eight of the next nine points. Carman ended the match with a kill that made the score 15-7.
• The Continentals lost two of the first three sets, but came out on fire in the fourth. Hamilton jumped out to a 5-1 lead and never trailed. Eventually the cushion grew to 15 points at 22-7 before the Continentals posted a 25-11 triumph. Hamilton recorded 26 kills and just two errors in the last two sets.
• The Continentals also claimed the first set, 25-21. The score was tied six times during the set including 20-20. Hamilton setter Melissa Morelli '24 put the Continentals up for good with a kill, and Drew Stimson '25 made it 23-20 with two consecutive aces.
• The second set was tight the whole way as neither team led by more than three points. Hamilton held a 23-22 edge after a service error by the Mammoths, but Amherst scored the last three points on kills and evened the match.
• The Mammoths were clinging to a 12-10 advantage in the third set when they erupted for seven straight points. Amherst cruised the rest of the set en route to a 25-13 decision. The Mammoths hit .452 as a team in the third set with 16 kills and just two errors in 31 attempts.

 

Notes

• The Continentals' last three wins against Amherst have all come in five sets.
• Carman is fourth in the NESCAC with 3.12 kills per set.
• Stimson tied a career high with 13 kills. She registered a .419 hitting percentage with no errors in 31 attempts.
• Morelli finished with 43 assists and was one of five Hamilton players in double figures in digs with 13.
• Caitlin Allen '27 was credited with a season-best five blocks.
• Rylee Bergeron '26 led the Continentals with 18 digs, Pati Cerda '26 had 14 and Hanna Cillo '24 added 13.
• Kendall Scholz '27 nearly produced a double-double for Hamilton with nine kills and 10 digs.
• The Continentals made just one service error.
• Anaya Thomas paced the Mammoths with 15 kills and 13 digs.
• Charlotte Rasmussen pounded 15 kills and Kinsey Cronin had 10 to go along with five blocks.
• Renee Liou passed out 27 assists, Katelyn Hamasaki served five aces and Lizzie Papalia led all players with 25 digs.

 

Next Match

Hamilton hosts Williams College (5-0, 1-0), which received votes in this week's Top 25 coaches poll, along with St. Lawrence University on Saturday, Sept. 16. The first match gets underway at noon.