The volleyball squad went 1-2 this past week, losing to Babson College 0-3 and Vassar College 1-3 on Saturday at Brandeis, after defeating Lasell College 3-1 at Lasell on Wednesday. After sustaining a 10-match losing streak that lasted nearly a month, the Judges have now won two of their last six contests. 

Judges 0, Babson 3

Brandeis lost in straight sets to the Beavers 25-17, 25-22, 25-20 as the Judges hit a combined .237 average in all three sets. After setter Yvette Cho ’19 notched consecutive service aces to cut the deficit to 12-11, Babson went on a 10-1 run en route to the set victory. 

In the second set, the Judges recovered from an early 7-1 deficit but could not hang on to their lead late in the set. A kill from middle hitter Jessica Kaufman ’17 capped a 9-0 run for Brandeis. Though Babson tied the set at 17, the Judges later regained the lead at 18-17 on a kill from middle hitter Summer Koop ’16. Babson finished the set, however, scoring eight of the final 12 points to win the set. Brandeis took an 8-0 lead in the third set, highlighted by two kills from outside hitter Jessie Moore ’18 and three service aces from outside hitter Shea Decker-Jacoby ’19. Babson scored the last five points to clinch the set and match. 

Judges 1, Vassar 3

Brandeis lost to the Brewers in four sets — 18-25, 19-25, 25-17 and 18-25. In the first set, the Judges found themselves down 10-3. Brandeis used a 10-1 run to gain the lead, though, as a kill from middle hitter Zara Platt ’19 gave the Judges an 11-10 lead. Vassar finished the game scoring the next 12 points to win the set.

The Judges were down early in the second set as well, going down 11-4. The third set was a different story for Brandeis as Platt and Decker-Jacoby combined for seven kills. The Judges took a 9-8 lead on a service ace from setter Maggie Swenson ’16 and never relinquished it. 

In the fourth set, the Brewers scored seven of the first 10 points to gain control of the set. 

Down 23-16 later in the set, middle hitter Kirsten Frauens ’19 tallied a kill, but Vassar scored two of the last three points to take the match. Middle hitter Maddie Engeler ’16 had four kills in the match, and Cho led the Judges with 20 digs.

Judges 3, Lasell 1

The Judges notched their fifth win of the season in four sets by scores of 18-25, 25-18, 25-14, 25-21. Outside hitter Grace Krumpack ’19 tallied nine kills and 11 digs in the match, and Kaufman had seven kills. 

The first set was a back-and-forth battle that featured 10 ties. Brandeis went up 18-17 on a kill from Engeler, but the Lasers scored eight points in a row to take the first set. 

Set two was also a tight one. Brandeis took a 16-12 lead after a Lasell service error. They won the set by controlling the remaining points. Brandeis dominated the third set, thanks in large part to the play of Pearlman. Up 8-5, the Judges scored seven straight points behind Pearlman’s serves to go up 15-5. Krumpack tallied a kill on the final play to win the set. 

In the fourth and final set, Brandeis took control at 11-11. They rallied off five straight points and took a 24-16 lead on a Lasell attack error. Though the Lasers scored five in a row, a kill from Platt clinched the match victory.

The Judges will resume play in their match against Emory University in Rochester, NY on Friday at noon as  part of the University Athletic Association Championships.