The volleyball team had a successful week and evened their overall record to 6-6 for the season. 

The Judges lost in an incredibly hard-fought match against Emerson College on Thursday but dominated on Saturday in Hill Gymnasium in Gorham, Maine with two shutout victories against University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth and University of Southern Maine.

Judges 3, Southern Maine 0

Brandeis carried their momentum from just a few hours prior into their second match of the day and defeated Southern Maine 3-0 in an exciting game by scores of 25-15, 27-25 and 25-23.  The Judges were underdogs in this one, as Southern Maine came into the match with a 10-3 record but showed just how good they could be by not dropping a set for the second consecutive match.

Outside hitter Grace Krumpack ’19 was a leader for the Judges, registering an impressive double-double with 14 kills and 13 digs.  Setters Leah Pearlman ’19 and Marlee Nork ’19 had 22 and 14 assists, respectively. Nork added three more service aces to her already fantastic season at serving.  Libero Yvette Cho ’19 led both teams by more than 10 digs with 23 for the match.  

The Judges came out strong with a .379 kill percentage in the first set and never looked back.  This match should serve as a huge confidence boost for the squad moving forward and is an excellent way to end their week of volleyball.

Judges 3, UMass-Dartmouth 0

Earlier that afternoon, Brandeis came out energetic and motivated, crushing UMass-Dartmouth 3-0 by scores of 25-21, 25-23 and 25-18.  The squad refused to fall into another slump this season and, despite the close margins, did not drop a single set in this bounce-back performance.  

Cho brought her remarkable season total of service aces up to 20 by registering four for the match.  Outside hitter Shea Decker-Jacoby ’19, middle hitter Emma Bartlett ’20 and outside hitter Jessie Moore ’18 led the way for the Judges with eight, seven and six kills respectively.  Nork was all over the volleyball court, registering 18 assists. 

Judges 1, Emerson 3

Although they made up for it on Saturday with their pair of wins, Brandeis suffered a tough 3-1 loss against Emerson by scores of 20-25, 25-23, 22-25 and 18-25.  The powerhouse Emerson team picked up their 10th win of the season from this match, and although all of the sets were close for the Judges, the squad just did not have enough in the tank to come out on top.  

Cho had yet another outstanding performance with two more service aces and 26 digs, once again proving why she is one of the captains of this squad.  Fellow captain middle hitter Jessica Kaufman ’17 registered six kills with a notably high .417 kill percentage. Kaufman led either team with four block assists on the day.  Pearlman also had a standout performance with 15 assists, 10 digs and four service aces.  

In 20 fewer matches, the Judges already have more wins than they did in all of 2015.  They have a remarkable amount of talent, and exciting possibilities lie ahead as the squad now has the opportunity to post a winning record by the end of the week.  

Brandeis will look to pick up their seventh win of the season against the University of Chicago on Saturday.  The match will be held at Carnegie Mellon University at 12 p.m. in Pittsburgh.