The return of setter Abby Blasco '11 to the lineup after an eight-game absence due to a hamstring injury helped to propel the volleyball team to a 3-1 record in the second two-day University Athletic Association Round Robin of the season last weekend at home.The Judges defeated Case Western Reserve University 3-0 last Sunday after dropping a match against No. 4 Washington University in St. Louis in straight sets earlier in the day. Brandeis also defeated Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Rochester, 3-1 and 3-0 respectively last Saturday. The Judges are now 13-9 this season and 3-4 in conference play. They will be seeded fifth out of eight teams at the upcoming UAA Championships held Nov. 7-8 at WashU.

"I think it was a very successful weekend," right-side hitter Piera Carfagno '10 said. "It's definitely good for our team morale to have some pretty solid wins."

Abby Blasco, the 2007 UAA Rookie of the Year, had been sidelined since injuring her hamstring in a match at Tufts University Sept. 23. At the time of her injury, the Judges were 8-2, but went just 2-6 in her absence. Brandeis is 11-3 when Blasco has suited up this season.

"We don't have a true natural back up [setter]," coach Michelle Kim said. "We've been sort of dealing with sticking people in that position who aren't natural setters, and I give them credit-it's a tough position to be in and they did the best they could, but it's good to have Abby back."

After losing to WashU 25-22, 25-13, 25-18 last Sunday, the Judges quickly recouped to sweep Case Western.

"I think it took just the first game of the Case match to get over [the loss]," Carfagno said. "I think you could tell by how people were playing and how excited they were."

Brandeis was tied with Case at 14 in the first set and 17 in the second set and led by a 22-21 margin in the third, but was able to go on respective runs of 11-3, 8-1, and 3-1 to close out each set.

Against WashU, Abby Blasco registered 23 assists and 13 digs, while Carfagno had eight kills. Outside hitter Lorraine Wingenbach '09 had 14 kills and nine digs against Case Western, with outside hitter Paige Blasco '11, Abby Blasco's twin sister, tallying 11 kills and nine digs.

After dropping the first set against Carnegie Mellon 25-21 last Saturday, the Judges took the next three 25-15, 25-18, 29-27. The team followed up the victory with a sweep of Rochester, outscoring the Yellowjackets by an average of 14 points per set.

"Those two matches against Carnegie and Rochester-that's the best I've seen us play," Kim said. "We're playing with a lot of confidence."

Against Carnegie Mellon, Abby Blasco had 41 assists and 14 digs, while Wingenbach had 11 kills and 10 digs. Libero Violette Ruggiero '09 had 17 digs. Against Rochester, Paige Blasco led the team with 15 kills, and Abby Blasco tallied 35 assists.

Kim said Abby Blasco runs a "faster offense," creating more opportunities for the outside hitters on the team. Blasco averaged 34.5 assists and 9.3 digs per match last weekend.

"I think everyone has a lot of chemistry with [Abby] on the court," Paige Blasco said. "She knows how to move the ball around."

Wingenbach broke the program's all-time kill mark this weekend, surpassing the 1,717 kills posted by Julie Hootnick '00. Wingenbach tied the all-time record with her final kill against Carnegie Mellon and set it with her first kill against Rochester.

"It's exciting to be successful for your team," Wingenbach said. "Some of [the kills] are much more fun than others, but it's nice to know you can be there for your team and score the point when you need to."

Brandeis heads to Amherst, Mass. for the Hall of Fame Tournament next Friday and Saturday.