Volleyball: Judges able to hold off Endicott on the road
With the volleyball team ahead by a score of 26-25 in the third set of a 1-1 match against Endicott College last Thursday, Endicott rookie Ashley Norley went for a kill in an attempt to even up the score, but outside hitter/middle blocker Bridget McCalister '10 and middle blocker Nicole Smith '11 leaped and blocked Norley's shot, giving Brandeis a 2-1 lead in the best-of-five match-up.From there, the Judges never looked back as they defeated the Gulls at Endicott in four sets, 25-17, 22-25, 27-25, 25-17, to improve their record to 8-3 on the season.
Smith acknowledged the impact her third-set block had on the team the rest of the way.
"Any chance to get a point, whether it's a kill, block or ace, gives great emotion to the team," Smith said. "We came off that block, and crazy emotion [came] from all the players on the court, even everyone on the bench; we picked it up and went with it. It kept our spirits high, and we continued to win the next game and the match."
Captain and right setter Piera Carfagno '10 led the Judges with 10 kills while also adding nine digs. Smith and outside hitter Paige Blasco '11 had nine and eight kills, respectively.
Setter Abby Blasco '11 had 35 of the team's 42 assists. Coach Michelle Kim said she has been pleased with Abby Blasco's individual play but also with the positive influence she has on her teammates as captain, along with Carfagno.
"[Abby Blasco] is a playmaker for our team and works so hard," Kim said. "She is a good example for our younger players as well."
With the score at 18-16 in the first set, the Judges won seven out of the last eight points to defeat the Gulls 25-17. Before the Judges' run at the end of the first set, the game was tight, as the Judges' largest lead was only four points. Brandeis had three aces in the set from Carfagno, Abby Blasco, and libero/defensive specialist Lauren Polinsky '10. Middle blocker/right setter Becca Fischer '13 contributed three kills to the win as well.
Despite its success in the first set, Brandeis lost the second set 25-22. With Brandeis winning 11-10, Endicott senior Steph Wiese recorded six service aces in a row, forcing Kim to call a timeout after the Gulls took the lead for the first time since the very beginning of the first set. Wiese had eight aces in the match, which now ranks sixth for most aces in one match in team history.
"[Wiese] is a great server," Kim said. "She jump serves and puts a back spin on the serve. . [To improve], we need to work getting ourselves in the right and position quickly and recognizing that on the serve at hand. We have to anticipate and work hard on getting our positioning better."
The third set was highlighted by Brandeis' ability to come from behind. The Judges were down for the game's entirety until they tied the score at 16 midway through the set. From then on, both teams prevented the other from gaining any momentum: The largest lead any team had before Brandeis' stretch to win the last three points was two, when the Judges led 23-21.
With the score 25-25, McCalister delivered a key kill to give the Judges a one-point lead, followed by her and Smith's block, which preserved the win for Brandeis.
The Judges ran away with the fourth and final set after a 7-7 tie. The Gulls committed several costly errors in the set, and timely hitting by Carfagno and her teammates gave the Judges an easy victory.
With Endicott in the rearview mirror, Brandeis turns its attention towards tonight's home match against Tufts University, who beat the Judges in straight sets at the Brandeis Invitational on Sept. 12.
The team said it was looking forward to having another opportunity to defeat the Jumbos, but Smith pointed out that despite the desire to avenge a loss, the team must remain disciplined.
"We need to say calm and focused," said Smith. "[We have to] play our game and not let them choose how we play."
After the battle against Tufts, Brandeis, along with Amherst College, Middlebury College and Westfield State College, will play in the Amherst Classic starting Saturday.
Tonight's match begins at 7 p.m.
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