If a red-hot start is any indication, the volleyball team is looking more like it did during its glory days than during a lackluster 2005. After ending last season with a 17-22 record, inlcuding a 1-6 mark in the University Athletic Association, the Judges are off this season to their best start since 2003, when they won a school record 27 games and made the first-ever ECAC finals appearance in school history.

The Judges are 4-1 after sweeping Emmanuel College 3-0 last Tuesday, 30-17, 30-22 and 30-28.

Brandeis trailed early in the first game as Emmanuel jumped off to a 7-2 lead, but quickly recovered and took the lead behind rookie Piera Carfagno's '10 nine consecutive points.

"Starting off the season in a winning manner is obviously a confidence booster," coach Michelle Kim said.

The Saints took another early lead in the second contest, but Kaite Wrynn '08 matched Carfagno with nine straight service points to give the Judges the lead for good.

The third game proved to be the toughest for Brandeis, as Emmanuel held a match-high six-point-lead. The Judges answered with a 12-3 run that would give them the lead for good.

"Emmanuel is a stronger team than what they showed us," Kim said. "We were able to take care of them in three, which was good for us."

Despite Brandeis's good start, Kim said her team cannot grow complacent.

"Our players also know that we could have won some of the games we did much easier than we did, so our record is not something we can rest on," she said. "We definitely know we have improvements to make."

Shannon Trees '08 said team chemistry must also translate to success on the court.

"People are definitely stepping it up and it's working really well, seeing as this is only the beginning," Trees said. "I think that as long as we can take the chemistry we have off the court onto the court, we will definitely do some great things this year."

As a younger team, players highlight the importance of getting significant contributions from rookies. The newcomers made an immediate impact on the court, with Carfagno's nine straight points against Emmanuel and Bridget McAllister '10 recording 12 kills and three blocks in the win over Smith.

For Kim, the development of the Judges' rookies is crucial to the team's success.

"[The rookies] work really hard at practice everyday," Kim said. "They clearly do a lot for us and with them we definitely have a bright future ahead of us."

The Judges will look to extend their winning streak when they head to Quincy, Mass. to take on Easter Nazarene College Tuesday at 7 p.m.