In the Amherst Classic last weekend, the women's volleyball team, ranked No. 6 in New England by the New England Women's Volleyball Association, followed Friday's 3-0 loss to No. 9 Amherst College with a 3-2 triumph over No. 10 Middlebury College Saturday morning. However, in their other game on Saturday, the Judges suffered a 3-1 defeat to No. 11 United States Coast Guard Academy.The Judges, now 9-5 on the year, lost to Coast Guard last Saturday in the team's final match of the tournament 26-24, 13-25, 27-25 and 25-23.

Brandeis was able to split the first two sets with Coast Guard, but close losses in the third and fourth sets sealed the Judges' fate in their last match of the tournament.

Outside hitter/libero Si-Si Hensley '14 contributed career-high totals of 16 kills and 13 digs, while middle blocker Nicole Smith '11 added 12 kills to the effort.

Earlier that day, the Judges defeated Middlebury 3-2 by scores of 25-22, 25-19, 14-25, 19-25 and 15-9. Brandeis dominated at the outset of the match by jumping out to a 2-0 set lead; however, with victory in sight, they failed to capitalize. The Panthers rebounded with two set wins, evening the match. However, the Judges finished strongly, winning the 15-point tiebreaker set.

Outside hitter Paige Blasco '11 recorded a double-double in the match with 17 kills and 17 digs. Setter Abby Blasco '11 notched 35 assists and nine digs.

Coach Michelle Kim was proud of how the team played on Saturday despite not having much rest between their two matches.

"We didn't have much rest time between the Middlebury match and the Coast Guard match, and fatigue definitely played a role in the outcome of the match," she wrote in an e-mail to the Justice. "I am proud of the team for pushing through the fatigue and continuing to work hard."

Last Friday, Brandeis lost to Amherst by scores of 25-22, 25-21 and 25-19. The Judges opened the first set with three straight points, but Amherst soon controlled the tempo of the game with a 6-1 run. Brandeis played competitively throughout the game, tying the Lord Jeffs at 12-12 and even holding a 17-13 lead. However, Amherst reeled off an 11-3 run and eventually won the set.

Brandeis started off strong in the second set, but after Amherst seized the lead at 19-17, Amherst didn't look back, cruising to clinch the set at 25-21. This pattern continued in the third set as well, as the Lord Jeffs clinched both the set and the match.

Smith led the Judges with 10 kills and was the only player to produce a positive hitting percentage. Abby Blasco added 21 assists, while Paige Blasco and defensive specialist Susan Sun '13 contributed 14 and 10 digs, respectively.

Earlier in the week, Brandeis squared off in a much-anticipated matchup against No. 3 Tufts University, which was then ranked No.1. The Judges fell in straight sets by scores of 26-24, 25-22 and 25-18.

The Judges started off strong in a set that contained 13 ties and four lead changes. However, the volleyball team could not finish and lost the set. This dynamic existed in the second set as well, as the Jumbos struggled to finish off Brandeis as each team rallied throughout the game. Once both squads tied at 22 apiece, Tufts established the tempo for the rest of the set and prevailed to take the second set.

In the third, Brandeis was resilient throughout most of the set, tying the score at 14-14 at one point in the game. However, the Jumbos prevented the Judges' comeback as they took the set and matches.

In the loss, Paige Blasco added nine kills, while Sun contributed with 14 digs of her own. Abby Blasco also totaled 17 assists in the match.

In losing three of its four matches this week, Smith noted the team's problem in finishing its matches.

"Our main problem is finishing," Smith said. "We get so close and really play our hearts out against these top teams, but we can't clinch. That's the main thing we have to improve."

The Judges resume play this weekend in Atlanta, where they will begin conference play at Emory University in the University Athletic Association Round Robin Tournament. The Judges are set to face the defending national champion and No. 1-ranked Washington University in St. Louis, the University of Rochester and the University of Chicago.