AMHERST — For the first time since 2016, the Amherst Hurricanes are on their way to the Western Mass. volleyball final.
The Hurricanes bested Chicopee Comp in the Class A semifinals on Thursday evening, winning in straight sets (thought it was touch-and-go for a while) 25-8, 25-19, 25-17. Amherst was firing on all cylinders on both their offense and defense; Nicole Lambert finished the game with 11 kills, followed closely by Delaney MacPhetres with 10 and Audrey Bowen with eight. Libero Liza Beigel held the back court, digging up 20 balls, and setter Annabel Ogden finished with 39 assists, and also led the team with four aces at the service line.
It was all the more meaningful after a turbulent season last year. A season played entirely outdoors because of the pandemic left more questions than answers coming into this year, and coach Kacey Schmitt was pleasantly surprised to see the progress her team had made despite the obstacles they faced.
“I didn’t feel that we were able to make the kind of improvements that we would make in a typical season, so I really didn’t know for sure what to expect this year coming in. I knew I had some good kids coming back,” said Schmitt. “But Liza Beigel at libero, she’s a sophomore, and Annabel is in her first year on varsity, and they have really stepped in and done a great job.”
The combination of sophomores Beigel and Ogden with a strong group of upperclassmen hitters has come together at the perfect time for the Hurricanes, and when the team is all clicking, they’re extremely difficult to stop.
“I’m personally really excited because last year, we were a really good group, and then because of Covid, we were all really bummed about that, because we thought we had a really good chance,” said Lambert. “This year, all the underclassmen are really doing their part, and we’ve all been working really hard together.”
Bowen really got in a groove in the first set, and Lambert had a few excellent looks on the left side in the first set as well. They showed their chemistry and offensive prowess in the first set, powering past Chicopee Comp with ease and never really letting them get their feet under them. Bowen and MacPhetres, standing at 6 feet and 5-foot-11 respectively, held things down for the Hurricanes all night and were two of the main reasons that Amherst walked away with the win.
“My middles have been dominating all season,” said Schmitt. “I think pretty much hands down, two of the best middles I’ve had in a long, long time.”
After the first set, Chicopee Comp seemed to find their rhythm again and kept things much tighter. Neither team was able to string together more than a couple of points at a time, but ultimately the Hurricanes were able to string together a five-point run in the middle of the set that gave them enough room to breathe and earn the win.
“They play a very good defensive game, and I think they started getting more in sync,” said Schmitt. “But I have a really balanced attack and I think at some point they can only cover so much.”
The third set looked at first to be a repeat of the first, with the Amherst hitters dominating at the net and putting together a 20-7 lead. And then Chicopee Comp libero Raquel Terrazas stepped up to serve and went on a dominant run that the Amherst team just couldn’t stop. Ultimately, Schmitt called a timeout after she scored seven consecutive points to try and snap the streak.
“We just needed to take a couple of deep breaths, and I knew that we would be able to work together and pull through,” said Lambert. “She had an amazing serve, but we just needed to figure it out, and we did.”
Ultimately, Terrazas served into the net to give the ball back to the Hurricanes, and from there, they were able to power through and win the set and match.
“I said ‘We’ll take it,’” said Schmitt, laughing.
Schmitt has been impressed not only with this group’s skill, but its chemistry as well, noting how meaningful it was to make it to the championship match with this particular team.
“I would say that this season has exceeded my expectations, which is always so wonderful. They’ve come together so well as a team,” said Schmitt. “To make it to the finals with this group, especially this wonderful group of seniors, having gone through what they went through last year, it’s just a big bonus. They deserve it.”