Playing without its defensive cornerstone, the volleyball team managed to contend with rigorous competition at the Hall of Fame Invitational this week in Northampton, Mass. The unranked Judges finished sixth out of 16 teams at the tournament, going 2-2 against four ranked opponents. They defeated sixth-ranked Bowdoin College but fell to the No. 2 ranked Massachusetts Institute of Technology Friday, while notching a win over No. 10 Wellesley College and losing to No. 4 Springfield College Saturday. MIT emerged victorious in the tournament. The team was forced to compete without captain and libero Shannon Trees '08, who could not play due to a sprained ankle she sustained during practice Wednesday night. The Judges are now 12-14 on the season."It's really frustrating to sit out, but I had confidence in my team to do well without me," Trees said.

And the Judges did not let her down. They compensated for Trees' absence with a concerted team effort in Saturday's win over Wellesley, sweeping the match 30-23, 30-26, 30-17. Middle blocker Piera Carfagno '10 had a solid all-around performance with 12 digs, 10 kills and four service aces. Outside position player Ashley Powers '08 led the Judges with six aces, while setter Violette Ruggiero '08 had 29 assists.

"We just played together," Ruggiero said. "We knew where everyone was and we were very vocal."

"The communication was there, and right from the beginning, we never let up," outside hitter Katie Wrynn '08 said.

Although missing Trees was not crippling against Wellesley, the Judges could have used their captain against Springfield in their second match of the day. The team lost 3-1, by scores of 30-25, 25-30, 30-24, 30-28, and could not summon up the defensive effort to contend without Trees.

"Not having Trees really hurt us against Springfield since we could have really used her left-side defense," Wrynn said.

Still, coach Michelle Kim downplayed the effect of Trees' injury on the team's performance.

"We had to play some different defensive formations without her, but everyone did their job," Kim said. "We still were able to stick to our game plan and execute."

With the tournament winding down, fatigue also was an issue for the Judges against Springfield.

"We looked very tired," Kim said. "We just didn't move as well against Springfield as we did the rest of the weekend, and we weren't able to put the ball away."

On Friday, the Judges opened the tournament with a bang, toppling Bowdoin in a 30-22, 30-26, 30-16 sweep. Middle blocker Bridget McAllister '10 was the team's most versatile performer with 10 kills, four digs, three blocks and five aces. Outside hitter Lorraine Wingenbach '09 also did a little bit of everything with eight kills, four digs and three aces.

Ruggiero stressed that the play of McAllister and Carfagno, the team's primary middle blockers, was critical in allowing the Judges to hold their own without Trees throughout the tournament.

"We depend on Shannon defensively, but it wasn't difficult since we have two very strong middles offensively and defensively in McAllister and Carfagno, and they really stepped up without her," she said.

MIT swept Brandeis in its second match Friday, 24-30, 20-30, 28-30. Wingenbach and McAllister tallied nine kills each offensively, while Ruggiero had 27 assists and four digs.

While the Judges are unranked due to a losing record (a .500 mark is required to be eligible for the rankings), coach Michelle Kim sees their tough schedule as a useful template for improvement.

"We know we are a good team, but we are in a very tough conference," she said "We are getting better by playing against great opponents."

The Judges face Lasell College today at home at 7 p.m., while hosting the Judges Classic Friday at 5 p.m. and Saturday at 10 a.m.