Harford, Conn. – Junior OH Nicole Gould (Los Angeles, Calif.) had 11 kills, two aces, and five digs to lead the visiting Amherst College Lord Jeffs to a 3-0 victory over the Trinity College Bantams in New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) volleyball action this evening at Oosting Gymnasium.  Amherst, ranked No. 3 in New England, improves to 20-3 overall and 7-2 in the NESCAC, while Trinity 8-13 overall and 1-8 in the league.  Trinity closes the 2015 season tomorrow against league foe Williams at 2 p.m. and Amherst finishes its regular season at Wesleyan tomorrow.

Amherst used a 9-2 run to turn a 6-5 deficit into a 14-8 lead in the first set on its way to a 25-16 victory.  The Lord Jeffs controlled play in the second set with a 25-13 win and fought the Bantams off in the third set, never going ahead by more than six points but leading throughout en route to a 25-19 triumph.  Trinity senior tri-captain OH Kate Giddens (Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif.) made three kills during a 5-2 Bantam spurt in the middle of the third set to cut the Lord Jeff lead to 15-13.  Amherst sophomore OH Asha Walker (Los Angeles, Calif.) posted two kills and an ace for three of the Lord Jeff's final five points of the match.

Watch Kate Giddens great serve. 

Giddens finished with a match-high 15 kills to go with 10 digs, recording a .343 hitting percentage, while junior Shelby Deck (Newport Beach, Calif.) paced the Bantams with 17 assists, and sophomore L Grace Metry (Grosse Pointe Park, Mich.) added a team-high 16 digs.  Junior OH Maggie Danner (Newport Beach, Calif.) had 10 kills, two blocks, and six digs, while senior captain Nicole Carter (Irvine, Calif.) notched a match-best 21 assists, and senior Katie Warshaw (Manhattan Beach, Calif.) registered 19 digs for Amherst.