As the volleyball team led 29-17 in the third game of the ECAC New England title match against Colby Sawyer College Saturday, setter Violette Ruggiero '09 gently tipped the ball over the net to deliver the tournament championship. The effortless play was a fitting ending to a tournament through which Brandeis steamrolled. With the win, the top-seeded Judges captured their first ECAC title in University history, defeating third-seeded Colby-Saywer 30-19, 30-19 and 30-17. Outside hitter Lorraine Wingenbach '09 was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player.

The Judges end the 2006 season with a 22-17 record, a marked improvement from last season's 16-22 finish.

"Winning [our] first title is a big accomplishment," coach Michelle Kim said. "The program is going in the right direction."

Wingenbach said: "We all contributed [to the victory]; it was a team effort.

"We had complete control in all matches."

Brandeis has made only four previous appearances in the ECAC tournament. The Judges earned just their second berth in the championship round with wins over eighth-seeded Framingham State Wednesday night in the quarterfinals and fourth-seeded Keene State in the semifinals Saturday.

The Judges came out firing in the first game against Colby-Sawyer Saturday, leading by as many as 13 points.

We kept to the game plan," Kim said. "We served tough and kept attacking. After [Colby-Sawyer] got a point, we came right back."

However, Brandeis was in unfamiliar territory for the second game, trailing 6-2 early on. In the previous seven games of the tournament, the Judges trailed by no more than two points at any time. The Judges battled back behind solid serving from Ashley Powers '08, winning the next six points. After a 20-5 run, Brandeis took the second game 30-19.

"We blocked really well," captain and libero Shannon Trees '08 said. "[Colby-Sawyer] had a hard time providing an attack.

Brandeis continued its dominance in the third set, jumping out to a 12-4 lead. Middle blockers Piera Carfagno '10 and Bridget McAllister '10 delivered powerful hits throughout the game, as the Judges closed out the match with a 13-5 run.

Wingenbach registered 12 kills and six digs in the championship round, for a team-high 44 kills in nine games throughout the tournament.

Carfagno also had 12 kills against Colby Sawyer, while McAllister had six kills, five digs, four blocks and two aces.

Brandeis easily disposed of Framingham State College in the quarterfinal match Wednesday, 30-15, 30-21, 30-14, jumping out to early leads in each game.

The Judges' semifinal win over Keene State was not as easy. The team saw large leads evaporate in the first two games, but still held on 31-29 and 30-26 as Keene's comeback attempts fell short. Brandeis dominated the third game, winning 30-11.

As the top seed, Brandeis played host to all three of their matches. The Judges took advantage, sweeping all three opponents by an average of over 11 points per game.

The Judges dominated at home this season, compiling a sterling 10-0 record and taking 30 of 31 games played, including the final 28.

But aside from the home-court advantage, a concerted team effort was instrumental in the Judges' victory, players said.

"Working as a unit helped us do the things we needed to do to win," outside hitter Becca Schwartz '09 said.

"Sweeping [all of our opponents] shows we are a strong team that will not let up at any point."

And after early-season struggles, including one stretch of seven losses in eight games, the Judges only got stronger with time, going 10-3 to end the year.

"We've had some up-and-down moments, but we got more and more consistent throughout the season," Kim said. "The team developed to see it all come together, and the players deserve all of this. They sacrificed a lot all season long.