As the women's basketball squad begins its season on Friday, coach Carol Simon, returning to lead Brandeis in her 27th season, stressed that results matter less to her than the team's performance on a given day.

"We're not really looking at the outcomes right now, we're going by the process and taking it day-by-day," Simon said given that the team is still in its early stages of practice. "We're still a young squad and we're just trying to get better every day."

The Judges endured a mixed season last winter, suffering a seven game losing streak to conclude with a 10-15 overall record.

However, despite the bump that the team hit mid-season, the squad ended its season on a positive note, winning two of its last three games against the University of Chicago and New York University-both formidable University Athletic Association rivals.

The team will look to start off this year's campaign right where last year's left off.

Simon noted the Judges will look to uphold a core philosophy of consistent defensive pressure in its games, forcing opponents to play the length of the court.

The women allowed 55.5 points per game last season to opponents, an improvement from the 58.9 points per game they allowed in their 2011-12 campaign.

On offense, meanwhile, the Judges will look to maintain a high tempo and keep defenses on their heels. Last season the squad scored 54.7 points per game, an increase from the 52.8 points per game they averaged the season before.

One of the squad's weaknesses, though, will be their game in the post. Forwards Samantha Anderson '13 and Erika Higginbottom '13, two of the top three rebounders from last year's team, have graduated. To make matters worse for the Judges, forwards Sydney Sodine '17, Maria Jackson '17 and O'Hara Chard '16 will all be sidelined at the beginning of the season with injuries, which means that the squad will have to look to some of its other players to fill in roles while Sodine, Jackson and Chard are recovering from their ailments.

Guard Hannah Cain '15 will also miss the entire season with an A.C.L. injury. Cain averaged 8.3 points per game last season and collected 5.3 rebounds per game.

Despite the many injuries that her squad is facing, Simon is nonetheless confident the Judges will be able to succeed. "We're looking to get players that have to step up, whether they are newcomers or returners," Simon said.

"Everybody is important."

The Judges return five seniors, though, including second year captain and guard Kasey Dean '14. Dean led the team last year with 8.6 points per game and 2.4 assists per game. She returns this season as motivated as ever to help the Judges win.

Dean said simply her goal this year "is to make postseason play." To achieve this goal, Dean knows the team has to play well on both sides of the court.

"We want to build off of how we were playing at the end of last season," she said. "Basically, we focus on being a disciplined defense and a smart, poised offense."

The team will also turn to guard Janelle Rodriguez '14 as a primary scoring threat. Rodriguez averaged six points per game last season in 19.7 minutes per game of play.
The Judges, additionally, will seek to improve their away record this season. Last season, Brandeis held a 2-8 road record as opposed to an 8-7 record at home.

Dean remains confident that the team will pick up its play on the road.

"We have some of our more important games home this year so that should be to our advantage," she said. "We also do not have back-to-back travel trips in our UAA schedule so that will take some stress off us."

Simon noted that the team simply has to focus on improvement to be successful on the road.

"We have to get better every day-whether it's on the road or at home," Simon said.

The Judges will play their final 14 games against UAA opponents-certainly a challenge for this young squad.

The Judges open their season this Friday at 5 p.m., squaring off against Mount Ida College for the first game of the Brandeis Invitational Tip-Off Tournament.