WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. – The third-seeded Amherst College volleyball team outlasted second-seeded Wesleyan in a five-game thriller Saturday to advance to the championship match of the 2006 NESCAC Tournament.

Amherst (26-4) moved past the Cardinals with a 30-22, 25-30, 30-28, 23-30, 15-12 decision. Junior Jaclyn DeMais led the offense with 22 kills and 3 service Aces. Sophomore Sara Heller led the defense with 17 digs and also added 40 assists.

The Cardinals were led by freshman Ellie Healy, sophomore Lisa Drennan, and senior Tory Molnar. Healy and Drennan paced the offense with 63 assists and 28 kills respectively, while Molnar posted 29 digs. Wesleyan finished the season with a record of 19-9.

Amherst will face top-seeded Williams (25-6) in the championship match Sunday at 1 p.m. in the Chandler Gymnasium of the campus of Williams College.