Blasco to Blasco. Abby '11 to Paige '11. That was the combination that led the Judges last Saturday as they swept Keene State College and the United States Coast Guard Academy to improve their record to 13-7 (1-2 in University Athletic Association play).Brandeis defeated Keene State in the later game last Saturday by a score of 25-17, 25-21, 25-19, giving them their third consecutive win.

The sisters, captain/setter Abby Blasco and outside hitter Paige Blasco, fueled the team to victory against the Owls. Abby Blasco set up her twin sister constantly, who then registered kill after kill.

"They have such a connection," middle blocker Nicole Smith '11 said. "They know each other's strengths and weaknesses. They have also played with each other since they started playing volleyball. [In games] they connect well with the sets and the hitting, and they are both great players. Great players are able to connect."

The Judges cruised to an easy first set win, highlighted by a play by the Blasco twins and middle blocker Becca Fischer '13. In the middle of the match, two kills by Paige Blasco gave the Judges a 15-14 lead, propelling them to a first set victory.

Despite their sloppy play in the beginning of the second set, the Judges rallied to take a 17-12 lead, forcing Owls coach Bob Weiner to call a timeout. While Keene State came back to make it 20-18, two consecutive kills by Smith helped preserve the set for the Judges.

With a 2-0 lead, the Judges put in outside hitter/middle blocker Lauren Berens '13 in place of Paige Blasco. In her time on the court, Berens recorded two kills.

Coach Michelle Kim was happy with Berens' play, but she believes there is room for the rookie to improve.

"We wanted to give [Berens] chances to play, and she did well,"?Kim said. "She definitely needs more experience, [and] we have been working on our hitting a lot at practice. She still needs a little work, but she is coming along nicely."

Even without Blasco for much of the third set, the Judges won the set by a score of 25-19.

In their first match of the morning, the Judges soundly defeated the U.S. Coast Guard Academy by a score of 25-13, 25-21, 25-20. The match was highlighted by the Judges' efficient play, as they registered a season-best .408 hitting percentage and a season-low six attack errors.

Paige Blasco led the way for the Judges with 15 kills and 13 digs.

Along with Paige Blasco, outside hitter/middle blocker Bridget McAllister '10 recorded double-digits in kills with 11. Abby Blasco had 36 assists in the win along with three service aces and a .600 hitting percentage.

According to Smith, the hard work in practice paid off over the weekend.

"We had been working in practice on defense and passing, and I believe that our back row did a great job working on what we have been doing in practice," Smith said. "We just clicked."

Despite the victories this weekend, the Judges have their work cut out for them next weekend as they face UAA rivals Carnegie Mellon University, University of Chicago, Emory University and New York University in a round-robin tournament at NYU.