After losing two of three conference matches last week, the volleyball team capitalized in the Keene State College Invitational by sweeping Keene State College and Colby-Sawyer College at Keene State last Saturday. The Judges also swept Emerson College last Tuesday, giving them a record of 13-7 on the year.Brandeis ended the week with a resounding 3-0 triumph over Keene State. The Judges earned the victory by margins of 25-19, 25-17 and 26-24.

Outside hitter Paige Blasco '11 totaled 15 kills and four digs, while setter Abby Blasco '11 notched five kills, 21 assists and 10 digs. Outside hitter/libero Si-Si Hensley '14 notched another six kills and 11 digs in the win, while outside hitter/middle blocker Lauren Burns '13 contributed six kills and eight digs of her own.

Earlier in the day, the Judges also handily defeated the Colby-Sawyer Chargers by scores of 25-22, 25-22 and 25-23. The matches were close, but ultimately the Judges were able to achieve what they have struggled to do throughout the season: finish games.

Paige Blasco earned nine kills and 11 digs, while Abby Blasco had 20 assists, four kills and six digs. Middle blocker Nicole Smith '11 had eight kills and defensive specialist Susan Sun '13 contributed 23 digs in the win.

Coach Michelle Kim commented in an e-mail to the Justice that the victories in the tournament this weekend proved that the team "worked hard on ball control and became more consistent in overall play." She believed they "were both good teams with whom we would need to play really well" and was impressed with the Judges' dominance of them.

Last Tuesday night, the Judges showcased their play at home with a commanding and quick sweep of Emerson College by scores of 25-12, 25-14 and 25-7. This was perhaps the team's best match of the season as it held their opponent to no more than 14 points in a given set.

In the first set, Brandeis jumped to a quick 8-2 lead, but eventually ceded 7 of the next 11 points to allow the Lions to close the gap at 13-9. From there, the Judges took control, notching nine of the next 10 points to cruise to a 22-10 lead and a 25-12 victory.

Things got easier in the second set as the team jumped out to a quick 8-3 lead. As the set progressed, the Judges established its dominance by roaring to a 20-7 lead. They had a little difficulty putting away the Lions, allowing for a brief 3-point surge and scoring 4 of the next 9 points. However, Brandeis was able to get its act together and clinch the set at a sizable margin of 25-14.

The Judges rolled off the first 14 points in the third set. At this point, Brandeis had no problem securing the win. The team skillfully worked its way to a 25-7 win, its largest margin of victory in the season.

Smith earned 11 kills and four assists in the match. Paige Blasco recorded another double-double with 11 kills and 12 digs. Abby Blasco also had 29 assists, while setter Yael Einhorn '14 had 12 digs.

Kim said that not having to face Emerson senior middle hitter and captain Lauren Zaniboni made the matchup easier for the Judges.

"Emerson was missing their go-to player [in Zaniboni] and I think it really affected how they played as a team; it definitely made them weaker."

Regardless, Kim was satisfied that the Judges were able- to capitalize and sweep the match against Emerson.

The Judges return to conference play this week, when they will host the second University Athletic Association round-robin of the season. On Saturday, they begin play with early-morning matches against Case Western Reserve University and New York University.

They follow that action with another set of matches on Sunday versus Emory University and Carnegie Mellon University.