AMHERST –– Although Friday’s women’s volleyball match will go down as a win for Amherst College, for its group of four seniors, this victory will be one to remember.

After Amherst defeated Williams 3-2 in front of a packed LeFrak Gymnasium and the handshake line was complete, Kate Bres, Maggie Danner, Nicole Gould and Kelci Keeno all sought each other out to embrace the moment.

The quartet shared a hug and a quick laugh.

Friday’s victory was the senior class’s first win over their rival Ephs in five attempts, and the first for Amherst College since 2012.

“It means the world to us,” said Danner, who led Amherst with 17 kills. “We’re all so close. Just to work so hard for four years and just to finally get them it’s just … It makes these last four years worth it; all that hard work for a moment like this.”

Bres agreed.

“I think that this group of seniors has been the core of the team from the beginning because coming in as freshmen, we were a very small team — we were a team of eight or nine,” Bres said. “We’ve gotten very, very close and to finally get a win senior year at home, it’s huge.”

With the match tied 1-1 and the third set knotted at 22, outsider hitter Emily Kolsky recorded her loudest of three kills as Amherst (6-2, 2-1 NESCEC) looked to take a 2-1 advantage.

However, Williams (4-5, 1-2 NESCEC) scored the match’s next three points thanks to a pair of kills from Ally Ostrow (14 total kills) to give the Ephs the set victory.

Amherst College coach Sue Everden still had confidence in her team.

“(I wasn’t worried) because I told them that we handed it to them,” she said. “We had won that set, but we had decided not to play the last few points.”

Amherst won the fourth set, 25-10, and after a brief scare with the game tied at 8 in the final set, recovered to win the fifth 15-10.

Everden was pleased with the way her team played on defense, in particular their ability to block Williams’ shots.

“I told them we were wearing them down,” Everden said of the final two sets. “It really felt like we just kept the ball in play — and I have to say, we blocked the lights out of them tonight — so if you block well, you serve well and you can win.”

After losing the first set 25-18, Amherst rallied in the second to win 25-17 with Dunnar recording four straight kills late in the set.

Tori Jasuta led the Ephs with 17 kills, while Ostrow finished close behind with 10.

For Amherst, Annika Reczek (11) and Marialexa Natsis (10) each contributing double-digit kills.

“It was long overdue,” Bres said with a smile as she struggled to find words. “I’m very, very happy.”

Amherst returns to action Saturday afternoon with a tri-team match against Babson and Clark at Clark University in Worcester.

Andrew Cyr is a UMass journalism student. He can be reached at andrewrcyr@gmail.com.