Cold weather may have forced the match indoors, but the Judges still froze the Springfield College Pride last Wednesday 7-0, earning wins in all six singles matches and all three doubles matches. (Winning two of the doubles matches earns one point.)The win followed a 6-1 loss at Wheaton College last Tuesday. The Judges jumped to a 2-2 record for their spring season and 3-4 overall.

Brandeis visited Wesleyan University yesterday in a match that ended too late for this edition.

Sam Jonas '07 led the Judges with a dominating performance at the No. 1 singles spot, shutting out Springfield senior Rich Aseltine in one set and allowing only one point in the second.

Brandeis captain Seth Green '05 topped sophomore Jeff Crofts in back-to-back 6-0 sets.

"We were just a stronger team than Springfield, and we were playing on our home court," Green said.

Rob Friedman '06 also had a stellar performance, taking the win in the No. 5 singles spot with two 6-1 sets, while winning the No. 3 doubles spot 8-4 with teammate Hart Comess-Daniels '06.

"We don't take anybody lightly, but we came out confident, wanting that win on our first match," Friedman said. "We did not rely only on our skill. We came out prepared and we played hard."

The smell of victory and sweat permeated the air in Gosman as the Judges stepped onto the courts, ready to compete against the Pride. Jonas set the tone early, defeating Aseltine in quick and effective form, 6-0, in the first set of the day.

"Springfield was obviously not up to the strength of our team, and [is] in a [building] phase of their program," Coach Matt Porter said.

No Brandeis playergave up more than five games over the course of the next five matches. Mike Vulfovich '07 and Ariel Burman '08 both won with 6-3 and 6-2 sets.

"[We] concentrated on executing the fundamentals of a good strategy with positive emotions," Porter said.

But only a day earlier, it was the Judges who had been frozen in a 6-1 loss to host Wheaton College. Brandeis lost six heartbreakingly close singles matches.

"People had trouble adapting to the courts indoors, which made consistency on long singles rallies hard," Green said. "Also, we were missing [Jamie Metrick '07 and Cliff Silverman '07], two of our normal starters."

The only points Brandeis earned came in doubles matches, as Jonas and Burman beat their Wheaton counterparts 9-8 in the No. 2 match. Jordan Bieber '07 and Adam Sher '07 also won 9-8 in the No. 3 slot.

"The double was a great win, taking two matches from a team that has won all three doubles in their first five matches for the year," Porter said.

With only one senior on the team of 13 (nine are first-years or sophomores), players point to the importance of good leadership.

"For one, the juniors on our team are very helpful in providing good leadership and a good example," Green said. "Also, our younger players have adapted very well to college life and are doing fine."

"[Team captains Green and Friedman] are stand-up team members and set a great example for the lower classmen," Porter said.

The Judges visit the United States Coast Guard Academy in New London, Conn. on Thursday at 3:30 p.m. before hosting Bates College Friday at 3 p.m. and the University of Rochester Sunday at 9 a.m.

"I think our biggest strength is that on any day, against any team, we have the possibility of winning at any position on the court," Green said, "as opposed to other teams who count on certain spots for wins and expect losses at others.