After a month away from home, the spectators who came to see the volleyball team at Gosman saw a clear picture of what the team has looked like during its long road trip. Hotly contested points and three tight games led to a 3-0 Brandeis loss against Tufts last Tuesday, before the Judges went 1-4 at the Hall of Fame Tournament this weekend. Their only win came against Mount Holyoke, as the Judges dropped to 11-18."I think we are having some issues mentally with our game," Ashley Powers '08 said.

Inconsistency plagued the Judges at the Hall of Fame Tournament. On Friday, the Judges lost 3-1 against Williams College before losing to Wheaton College in the first round of pool play.

The Judges advanced into the losing bracket, where they finally found the right side of the net, beating Mount Holyoke in three straight games 30-23, 30-18 and 30-16. The Judges took only one of four games in dropping their next match to Gordon College.

"I thought [the Hall of Fame Tournament] went OK," Lorraine Wingenbach '09 said. "We are continuing to grow even as we near the end of the season. We've had some really great up moments and some pretty awful down moments, but I think that is what you get when you have a young team."

In Tuesday's home match, points alternated across the board as the score reached an even 20-20 in the first. The game stayed even until the Jumbos edged out Brandeis at the end, 30-24.

The Judges fell short in the second game, this time by only two points, 30-28. Tufts dispatched the Judges in the third game 30-24.

Lorraine Wingenbach '09 led all players with 18 kills and 23 digs, and setter Violette Ruggiero '09 showed her versatility with 29 assists, 12 digs and 6 kills.

Powers said the team has struggled with composure.

"I think we get frazzled a lot, and I feel like there are teams that we can beat and play really well against," she said. "But sometimes our mental game gets in the way of our game on the court."

Brandeis hosts five teams in the Judges' Classic this weekend. The Judges open tournament play against Eastern Connecticut College Friday at 6 p.m. "I think emotionally, last weekend in St. Louis took a lot out of everybody," Wingenbach said. "It is a tough schedule, especially at the end. We are really working hard to end on a good note and keep working hard for the years to come.