The women’s volleyball team went 2-1 over the weekend at the New England Invitational, sweeping the Rochester Institute of Technology and Anna Maria College.

Judges 3, Rochester 0

The Judges steamrolled through Rochester in three clean sets, keeping their perfect record for Saturday intact. The Judges got off to a hot start, knocking down Rochester 9-2 in the first 11 points of the match. Rochester got back on its feet, battling the Judges in what was the only close set of the match. 

The Judges narrowly escaped, winning 25-20, but noticeably revved up their performance in the final two sets, grinding out 25-11 and 25-14 wins, respectively. 

Outside hitter Shea Decker-Jacoby ’19 led the squad with nine kills on the day and 12 digs, while middle hitter Emma Bartlett ’20 contributed eight kills on an unbelievable .727 hit ratio. Setter Leah Pearlman ’19 contributed a game-high 22 assists in addition to libero Yvette Cho’s ’19 10 digs. 

Judges 3, Anna Maria 0

Anna Maria came into the game with an even 3-3 record on the season, having lost 3-0 to Rochester the day before. Meanwhile, the Judges were reeling from their 3-0 loss to Bowdoin College a day before. 

However, the Judges managed to forget about their past woes, cruising to  a  3-0 sweep of their own on Saturday morning. The squad handled Anna Maria easily in the first set, coming away with a 25-17 win. That set them up for a close second set, in which the Judges pulled away with a 25-20 nailbiter. The squad handily finished their opponent with a 25-13 third-set victory, taking home a 3-0 sweep. 

Cho poured in an enormous 15 digs, while Decker-Jacoby added her first 10 kills of the day. Overall the team hit well, managing a stellar .255 hit ratio for the match. 

Senior outside hitter Rebecca Foti dominated the Amcats’ side of the net, posting a team-leading statistic in nearly every category. Foti pounded in two service aces, slammed six kills and powered in 12 digs in what was a futile effort for the team.  Despite the loss, Foti has emerged as a tough opponent.

Judges 0, Bowdoin 3

The Judges have had trouble with Bowdoin in the past, getting swept by the team last year in the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Invitational during the 2016 to 2017 season. This time around things were no different, with the Judges falling in three successive sets to the superior Polar Bears. However, the Judges didn’t back down without a fight, battling the Polar Bears in a tough 25-20 first-set loss. The Judges managed a mere eight kills in the first set versus Bowdoin’s 16. The Judges increased their efforts in the second set, but to no avail, losing narrowly 25-22. The squad slammed 14 kills on a respectable .242 hitting but were outmatched by Bowdoin’s 15 kills and .289 hitting. The Judges had no gas left in the tank, collapsing in a disappointing third set, 25-17. The team hit just .091, while contributing only nine kills in a losing effort. Bartlett led the team in kills, dropping seven on the day, while Cho poured in a team-high 15 digs of her own. 

Overall, the match came down to the teams’ hitting percentages. While Bowdoin hit a fantastic .303, the Judges could not do the same, putting up a mediocre .144 percentage.