The Brandeis volleyball team entered their Oct. 27 game against the Wellesley College Blue 10-13 overall, looking to put away a win for their last home match of the season. Before the game started, the Judges took time to honor five seniors and graduate students playing in their final match at Auerbach Arena: setter Talia Freund ’23, right-side Emerson White ’23, outside hitter Amelia Oppenheimer ’23, outside/right-side hitter Sydney Bent MA ’23, and defensive specialist Stephanie Borr ’23. The team led for almost the whole match and won the sets 25-16, 25-17, and 25-15.  

In the first set, the two teams kept the match close for the first few points, staying at 5-5. However, the Judges found their rhythm and started to pull ahead. Although Wellesley found some answers, the Judges scored four points in a row to pull ahead to a 15-8 lead. However, the game got close again when Wellesley scored seven points to bring the match to 16-15. Bent shut down the Blue’s — or Wellesley’s — offensive push with a few stellar serves and helped finish off the set in a 9-1 run. 

Wellesley’s only lead came in the second set when they scored the opening point against the Judges. Although the set went back and forth, the Judges were able to keep the Blue at bay, finishing off the set 15-17. Bent led the Judges to an early lead in the third set by pounding eight consecutive serves to start the final set, thwarting any chance for Wellesley to gain control over the set. Bent would finish with three kills and five service aces, and she tied a team high with 11 digs on the night. 

White, in her last home match, registered a career-high 11 kills with a hitting percentage of .611. The Brandeis defense held Wellesley to a .000 hitting percentage — 20 kills, 20 errors, and 90 total attacks — with Borr having 11 digs. Arianna Jackson ’25 aided the team’s victory with seven kills and three blocks, two of which were solo. Setter Ines Grom-Mansencal ’24 had 29 assists during her time on the court. 

The Judges went on to sweep Springfield College this past Saturday for their last regular season game. These two matches bring them to 12-13 overall as they prepare to travel to New York to face New York University on Friday, Nov. 4 at the University Athletic Association tournament. The Judges enter 0-7 into the UAA conference, but coming off of a two-win streak, they look to keep their winning momentum.