Amherst, MA --- Anastasia Kelnik (Fair Lawn, NJ) and Olivia Hutchinson (Erie, PA) both reached double figures in kills and setter Preslie Jerebker (Denver, CO) recorded her first double-double of the season and eighth of her career as visiting WPI went on the road for its first true away match and defeated Amherst 3-1 on Tuesday evening inside LeFrak Gymnasium.
 
The Engineers, who have now won three straight contests this season after dropping the season opener, won by sets scores of 19-25, 25-20, 25-22, 25-23.  The Mammoths (0-1) were making their season debut.

Amherst jumped out to a strong start leading to an 8-3 lead as Charlotte Rasmussen (Los Angeles, CA) posted a pair of aces in addition to four kills by Addison Lau (New Fairfield, CT) and Sofia Camilo (New York, NY). WPI's Kelnik,  Zeala VanDamme (San Diego, CA) and Kylie Welcher (Los Angeles, CA) recorded kills and took advantage of a few Mammoth errors to bring the match to a 10-9 score. Bridget Spees (Saint Johns, FL) and Amelia Lynch (Charlottesville, VA) joined the attack with kills of their own in addition to a Hutchinson ace to stay within two as Amherst held a 14-12 lead. Amherst's Lau tacked on a few more kills for the hosts as Abby Nichols (Smithville, MO) and Ellie Myers (Marietta, GA) piled on their own to extend the lead as the Mammoths claimed the first set, 25-19.
 
The second frame opened with WPI surging behind Kelnik and Hutchinson, who sparked a quick 4-0 lead aided by a pair of Amherst miscues. The Mammoths responded as Lau and Chideraa Ngwadom (Garner, NC) combined for three straight kills, only for four consecutive Amherst errors to swing momentum back to the Engineers. Amherst clawed even at 8-8 thanks to Lau and three aces by Ngwadom, setting the tone for a tight set. From there, the teams traded blows as WPI's Victoria Escuer (Caracas, Venezuela) delivered an ace, while VanDamme and Spees matched Amherst's kills from Lau and Rasmussen. Kelnik, Amelia Lynch (Charlottesville, VA), and Spees powered a late WPI push, stretching the lead to 21-18. The Crimson and Gray sealed the frame on a Lynch finish from Hutchinson's set, evening the match with a 25-20 set victory.
 
Momentum carried into the third, though Amherst steadied early behind Rasmussen and Camilo to edge ahead 10-8. The Engineers countered as Hutchinson and VanDamme notched kills and Jerebker orchestrated the attack with precision, feeding Kelnik for back-to-back points to reclaim the lead. Spees and Welcher contributed timely kills, and Escuer added a service run that forced an Amherst timeout with WPI up 20-18. Down the stretch, Kelnik and Spees again delivered, punctuating the set at 25-22 with a Jerebker-to-Spees connection. The Engineers' 2-1 match lead put them firmly in control heading into the fourth.
 
Amherst refused to go quietly in the fourth, storming out with Lau and Camilo leading an early surge that staked the Mammoths to a narrow edge. WPI leaned on Jerebker's setting to keep pace, with Hutchinson and Kelnik supplying timely kills to tie the score at 12-12. From there, the two sides traded nearly every point, neither leading by more than two. Rasmussen delivered from the service line for Amherst, but Welcher and Spees answered with kills to keep the Crimson and Gray level. At 23-23, the Engineers dug deep, with Lynch hammering a successful attack before Kelnik capped the night with a finish on match point. WPI secured the set 25-23, clinching its third straight victory with a hard-fought 3-1 decision.
 
Kelnik (15) and Hutchinson (12) powered the Engineers with 27 kills, while VanDamme and Kelnik anchored the net defensively with 10 total blocks. Jerebker finished with a double-double with 22 assists and 14 digs to direct the offense. Amherst was led by Lau's 15 kills and Tiana Richardson (Oakland, CA), who contributed three blocks at the net.
 
WPI opens up the home portion of its 2025 schedule on Saturday as it hosts Lasell and Plymouth State in a tri-match inside the Sports & Recreation Center.  Action is slated to start at 11am with the Engineers facing the Lasers in the first match of the day.  The Mammoths have a busy weekend ahead, hosting the two-day Amherst College Tournament on Friday and Saturday.  The hosts take on Mount Holyoke on Friday at 7:30pm before squaring off with Western New England (12:30pm) and Oswego State (5pm) on Saturday.