The Brandeis volleyball team (27-15) closed out its record-tying reason on Saturday with a 3-1 loss at MIT in the finals of the East Coast Athletic Conference Tournament. The match could not have been any closer, as the Judges lost all three games by a total of six points. The Judges were the second seed in the tournament; MIT was top. Brandeis lost to MIT 3-0 on Oct. 9 and was certainly looking to prove that they were more evenly matched with the Engineers than that score indicated. But before the Judges could have their rematch, they had to beat Plymouth State College in the tournament semifinals.

On Saturday against Plymouth State, Brandeis had a relatively easy 3-1 victory, 27-30, 30-22, 30-24, 30-25. This was the second time Brandeis had beaten Plymouth State this season, the first meeting coming in the Judges Classic final on Oct. 31.

Co-captain Marni Kutok '04 led the way with an outstanding 15 kills and 17 digs. Tiffany Wos '06 racked up 18 kills to lead the team, while Jen Lobban '05 was second in kills with 13 and had 14 digs. Shannon Eagan '05 had 38 assists and added another 12 digs.

The win over Plymouth State tie the school record for wins at 27. The record was set in 1988 during the sophomore season of current Brandeis head coach Sheryl Sousa.

In the finals on Sunday, the Judges faced a very strong opponent in MIT, but the two teams were evenly matched as the score would indicate. The Judges lost the hard-fought match 30-25, 28-30, 29-30, 28-30.

Eagan again had 38 assists and 12 digs, Lobban led the team with 15 kills and 19 digs and Kutok was second with 12 kills and 18 digs. Wos also had another strong game with eight kills and 19 digs, while Becca Segal '05 chipped in eight kills and Co-captain Isabel de Koninck '04 had eight digs.

After the game, the Judges had mixed feelings.

"It was an intense atmosphere, and everyone was pushing very hard," de Koninck said. "There are lots of factors that you could point to as to why we didn't win, but in the end, we were very closely-matched skill wise with MIT, and yesterday just wasn't our day," she said.

"This was the first time ever that Brandeis made it into the final of the ECACs, and although I know we could have won, we still played well and were able to tie the Brandeis volleyball wins record," Kutok said.

Once the sting of the loss wore off, some sadness set in.

"When the game ended, I was sad because I knew I would never be able to play with such amazing teammates again," Kutok said.

Both captains have played for Brandeis for four seasons, but this one stands out as the best for both.

"This is by far the best team I have ever played on. We played a whole season of great volleyball, and while I'm sure we could look back on some matches and say we should have or could have won, in the end it was a terrific season. We really played together and achieved great things," de Koninck said.

Kutok's sentiments mirror de Koninck's.

"This has been the best that I have played on in the four years I have been here. We had a more experienced group of starters, and it helped us in pressure situations. We meshed well on and off the court. I couldn't have asked for anything better my senior year," she said.

De Koninck and Kutok will be missed by the team as much as they miss it.

"It's going to be very hard to replace Marni and Isabel, both offensively and defensively speaking," Segal said. "They have both been such an integral part of our season this year," she added.

While the seniors have to leave the volleyball court, their memories of this season will remain with them for a long time.

"I will never forget our big win against Rochester in the UAA finals. We played some amazing volleyball for five games, and were able to get revenge on a tough loss earlier in this season," Kutok said.

For Kutok, the off-court memories are just as special as the games.

"Being able to spend time with 10 teammates in cities across the country is so much fun. This was an experience I will never forget," she said.

The record books will never forget this team, either.