(11/16/10 5:00am)
The Brandeis University sailing team excelled in its Nov. 6 competition at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, notching both first- and fifth-place finishes at the Professor Noringer Bowl for its first victory in the regatta in more than three years.The event featured several of the top New England Intercollegiate Sailing Association teams, including Brown University, MIT, Bowdoin College and Middlebury College.The women's team emerged victorious in the event, with the A and B teams each posting point totals of 17. The A team, with Andrea Verdeja '14 as skipper and Davida Judelson '12 as crew member, won its first race and stayed in the top five for the remaining four matches.The B team performed equally well, earning two first-place finishes, as well as second- and fourth-place marks. Meghan Breslin '13 was skipper, and Alison White '13 served as crew. "The win means a lot for Brandeis because it shows how much the team accomplished," team treasurer Joshua Basseches '12 said. The Brandeis' men's team also had an impressive showing, finishing fifth in a field of 15 teams. The A team, helmed by Jared Dunn '13 with Forrest Hardy '13 as crew, hovered within the top 10 for all five of its races. The team notched a first-place finish in the final match to finish with a score of 32 points.The B team, with Basseches as skipper and John Fonte '12 as crew, also performed well, amassing a total mark of 28 points.For the first time this season, both teams cracked the top 10 in their respective events, which Basseches says is "an important stepping stone for the team."Though the team is not eligible for the postseason, coach Tom Robinson said that this win was still valuable. "For a young team, it was very important to win this regatta," Robinson said. "It is certainly a good beginning for success in the future."Editor's note: Davida Judelson '12 is a Photographer for the Justice.
(11/16/10 5:00am)
The men's basketball team ended its 2009 to 2010 season with a disheartening loss in the Elite Eight of the NCAA Division III Tournament to No. 2 Williams College. The team finished with a 22-9 overall record and 9-5 mark in the University Athletic Association. Guards Andre Roberson '10, Kenny Small '10 and John Weldon '10, as well as forward Terrell Hollins '10 and center Rich Magee '10, finished as the most successful class in school history with 83 wins and four NCAA Tournament appearances.This season, though, the Judges are essentially a brand-new team, as the squad only returns four players: forwards Vytas Kriskus '12 and Christian Yemga '11, guard Tyrone Hughes '12 and center Wouter van der Eng '13. Kriskus, Yemga and Hughes were named captains of the team. "It will be up to [Yemga], [Kriskus] and [Hughes] to lead the way and assimilate the new guys on the court," coach Brian Meehan said. "It is a significant change from the high school to college environment, but our three experienced captains can help in easing that transition."Kriskus led the team with 64 3-point conversions and was third on the team with 12.8 points per game. Yemga finished third with 3.3 rebounds per game, while Hughes was second with 32.3 minutes per game.However, the Judges will look to 12 new players, 10 of whom are first-years, to replace the production from the senior class last season, during which Small averaged a team-best 14.3 points per game. Hollins finished last season with 13.7 points per game and a team-leading 10.4 rebounds per game while Roberson led the Judges in both assists and steals. Because of the lack of experience on the team this season, Meehan pointed out that defense needs to be a focal point for the team over the course of the season."The holes on defense will leave us a little exposed, and thus it should remain as a top priority for the team," Meehan said. Kriskus also believes that defense is a key to the team's success."Defense is absolutely the most important thing," he said. "I think we have a team with more than enough offensive capabilities, so it will come down to whether we are able to stop other teams." Meehan noted that the new group of players is talented."We have signs of becoming very good and simply have to balance the display of talent and personal growth on the court," he said. Kriskus and Hughes set the tone in the squad's preseason opener Nov. 4, which was an 83-60 loss to Division I University of Massachusetts Amherst. Kriskus scored 16 points and grabbed five rebounds, while Hughes recorded 11 points and six rebounds in the loss. Guard Ben Bartoldus '14 was the only rookie to start in the game.Centers Youri Dascy '14 and Alex Schmidt '14 and guards Derek Ratos '14 and Ruben Kanya '14 each logged more than 16 minutes in their first collegiate action. Dascy finished the game with 11 points, while Schmidt scored 6 points and grabbed four rebounds. Retos scored 5 points while Kanya had two assists.Because of the infusion of youth, the team is poised to be very competitive for the next 4 years. However, Meehan concedes it "may take some time for the freshmen to mature on the court, but the faster they do, the more consistent and successful the team will end up being." Despite receiving 55 points for the nationally ranked top 25 poll by D3hoops.com, the Judges slipped out of the preseason poll. Washington University in St. Louis was the only University Athletic Association school to be selected to the poll.In that same poll, Williams College is ranked No. 8, while Middlebury College and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, two other local schools, are ranked No. 9 and No. 15, respectively.Overall, Meehan acknowledged that there will "be some sort of a learning curve at first, but we will certainly improve over the course of the season." The team's first game of the season is tonight at Lasell College at 7 p.m. The team will then host the Brandeis Invitational Friday and Saturday.
(11/09/10 5:00am)
Despite struggling down the stretch, the volleyball team's season concluded on a high note on Saturday with a 3-1 win over the University of Rochester, earning the team seventh place at the University Athletic Association Championships.Earlier Saturday, the squad was shut out by Carnegie Mellon University. In both matches on Friday, Brandeis was swept 3-0, both by New York University and No. 1 Washington University in St. Louis. "The tournament started out pretty rough, but in the last match, we came together and were able to pull it out," middle blocker Becca Fischer '13 said.The squad finished the season 15-19 overall and 2-9 in UAA play."I thought we had some positive moments this season," Coach Michelle Kim wrote in an e-mail to the Justice. "One thing that I was very proud of this season was our team's ability to fight. We've had some great come from behind wins this season, and that was great to see."In their final match of the season, the Judges rallied from a set down to win three straight sets by margins of 17-25, 25-12, 25-20 and 25-16. Brandeis was sloppy to start, committing seven errors while notching just five kills en route to dropping the first set.However, from there, the Judges settled down and began to gain momentum. They dominated the second set, limiting the Yellow Jackets to just 12 points. Rochester made it close in the third and fourth sets, but outside hitters Paige Blasco '11, Lauren Berens '13 and Si-Si Hensley '14 led the offense in rolling off 25-20 and 25-16 victories. Setter Abby Blasco '11 notched 37 assists and 17 digs in the match while Hensley contributed 10 kills and 10 digs. Berens tallied 11 kills and Paige Blasco had a dominant final game of her career with a double-double of 15 kills and 12 digs.In the first match Saturday, playing for the fifth spot, Brandeis fell to Carnegie Mellon, losing in straight sets 25-20, 25-20 and 25-17.The Judges matched the Tartans point-for-point in the first and second sets, but Carnegie Mellon was able to pull away to win them both. The Tartans controlled the third set, winning the set and the match 25-17.Paige Blasco had another double-double with 15 kills and 11 digs, while Abby Blasco collected 26 assists and five digs. Middle blocker Nicole Smith '11 also contributed eight digs and two kills to the team effort.Last Friday, Brandeis faced off against WashU and NYU, two of the top 25 ranked squads in the nation. In their second match Friday, the Judges were dominated by the Bears by scores of 25-8, 25-10 and 25-13. Abby Blasco managed to pull together nine assists and two digs while Hensley notched two kills and three digs. Setter Yael Einhorn '14 led the team with five digs in the match.In their first match of the tournament, the Judges were pitted against the second-seeded Violets and were shut out by margins of 25-21, 25-17 and 25-13. In the first set, Brandeis and NYU exchanged the lead up until the end of the set, but NYU went on a run to clinch the set. The Judges faded in the next two sets, and NYU capitalized with decisive 25-17 and 25-13 wins. Defensive setter Susan Sun '13 set the pace in the match with a team-leading 10 digs. Abby Blasco displayed an impressive showing with seven kills, 19 assists and four digs, while Paige Blasco notched seven kills and seven digs. Hensley also contributed to the effort with two kills and eight digs. It was the final match for the three seniors on the team, Abby Blasco, Paige Blasco and Smith. "They're all fantastic, and they each contributed on so many levels," Fischer said. "Abby [Blasco] was a great captain. It won't be the same team without them. Next year will be a completely different team.""The dynamic of the team will drastically change, because they led us in stats in every single area," Bella Hu '13 said. "They all are phenomenal players and led us in every single stat. It's definitely going to change without them."-Jeffrey Boxer contributed reporting.
(11/02/10 4:00am)
After dropping two matches to start the Judges Classic last weekend, the volleyball team did justice to the senior members of the team by defeating Clarkson University 3-1 in its final home game of the season.Earlier Saturday, the Judges were swept 3-0 in a highly anticipated rematch against Tufts University, and they also lost 3-1 to the University of Massachusetts Boston in the first match of the tournament last Friday. In its final match, Brandeis, now 14-16 overall and 1-6 in University Athletic Association play, fed off of the home crowd's energy and won by margins of 25-15, 26-24, 21-25 and 25-22. In the first game, the Judges matched the Golden Knights point-for-point, but Brandeis notched 7 out of the last 8 points to clinch at 25-15.In the second game, Brandeis put forth one of its best displays of talent and persistence all season. Trailing 21-9, Brandeis had its biggest rally of the season, including 10 points in a row at one point, winning the set 26-24.Coach Michelle Kim was particularly impressed with the team's tenacity during the second set. She said that she was pleased with the squad's "ability to fight back, and even though the squad was tired and drained, they worked hard for every single play," adding that "this is a testament to the effort of our players."The Golden Knights would not let the third game slip from their hands, and despite another late Brandeis rally, the Judges lost by a score of 25-21. The two teams battled back and forth for every point in the fourth game, and even though neither team was able to hold a comfortable lead in the set, the Judges tallied off the final three points to win 25-22. Setter Abby Blasco '11 notched 40 assists and 15 digs, while outside hitter Paige Blasco '11 contributed a double-double with 16 kills and 10 digs. Middle blocker Nicole Smith '11 had 13 kills and a .500 kill percentage. On the defensive side, setter Susan Sun '13 added 18 digs to the Judges' victory.Earlier in the day, Brandeis fell to local rival Tufts and ended up losing by scores of 25-13, 25-19 and 25-8. The Judges played at their highest level in the second game, driving Tufts to the edge of defeat, but ultimately could not close out the game. Abby Blasco had six kills, 12 assists and 13 digs in the loss to the Jumbos. Paige Blasco also contributed eight kills to the effort. On Friday night in their first match of the tournament, Brandeis fell to UMass Boston 3-1 by scores of 25-15, 22-25, 26-24 and 25-19. The Judges ceded an early lead to the Beacons and could not recover, quickly falling in the first set. The second set was closer, but a 4-1 run sealed the deal for Brandeis and tied the match at 1-1 apiece.The third and fourth sets were both equally close, with the two teams each making a run at the end to win a set.Abby Blasco had another impressive outing, totaling seven kills, 31 assists and 11 digs, while Paige Blasco notched 17 kills and 10 digs. Smith totaled nine kills, while Sun contributed an additional 11 digs.Now finished with their home schedule for the season, the Judges will travel to Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland this weekend for the UAA Championships. Kim believes that the key to succeeding in this tournament is to "establish our [the team's] consistency. With adjusted lineups, it's hard to find rhythm. Once we solve that, we have a great shot at this weekend's tournament." On Friday, the Judges face off against New York University and Washington University in St. Louis. On Saturday, Brandeis will take on Carnegie Mellon University.
(10/19/10 4:00am)
While hosting the second University Athletic Association Round-Robin Tournament last weekend, the volleyball team lost all four of its matches. Last Sunday, the team, now 13-11 and 1-5 in UAA play, suffered a 3-1 defeat to Carnegie Mellon University and a 3-0 loss to No. 2 Emory University in the morning match. In Saturday's action, the Judges once again could not handle their conference opponents, suffering a 3-0 loss to No. 23 New York University and a 3-1 defeat to Case Western Reserve University.Coach Michelle Kim supported her team after this weekend's tournament, saying the Judges suffered an injury to outside hitter/libero Si-Si Hensley '14 and that it was tougher to win "given the circumstances and adversity associated with playing these tough conference opponents." Kim was proud that the team "stepped up in positions that they don't usually play in and tried incredibly hard."In the team's match against Carnegie, the Judges lost by scores of 25-18, 25-20, 16-25 and 25-14. In the first set, the Judges played on Carnegie's level, at one point trailing 18-17. From there, Brandeis could not find its groove as the Tartans comfortably cruised to victory. This trend held true throughout most of the second set as the Judges lost 25-20. In the third set, Brandeis found life and dominated Carnegie, maintaining at least a 5-point lead throughout and ultimately prevailing 25-16. However, that lead soon disappeared as Carnegie Mellon ran away in the fourth set.Middle blocker Nicole Smith '11 led the team with 13 kills and two blocked shots in the loss. Outside hitter Paige Blasco '11 contributed with 12 kills and 12 digs as well.In the team's first match Sunday, the Judges faced off against Emory, which swept Brandeis by margins of 25-19, 25-9 and 25-17. Brandeis fought throughout the first game, but the team's resolve ultimately faded, losing to the Eagles by a score of 25-19. Throughout the second set, Emory simply dominated the Judges, holding them to single digits at a score of 25-9. In the third set, the Judges showed flashes but could not clinch, losing the set and match. Outside hitter Paige Blasco '11 totaled nine kills and four assists, while setter Yael Einhorn '14 contributed 20 assists. Outside hitter Lauren Berens '13 also added five kills and three digs to the effort. Brandeis lost to NYU on Saturday afternoon by scores of 25-20, 25-21 and 25-15. In the first set, the Judges matched NYU point-for-point, clawing to a 13-13 tie. However, they soon lost momentum, and NYU clinched the first set.In the second set, Kim switched setter Abby Blasco '11 to libero. Brandeis held control for much of the set, maintaining a 21-20 lead before conceding the next 5 points for a loss. After that, Brandeis lost its rhythm and quickly faded in the third set.Paige Blasco led the team with 15 kills and also had seven digs. Einhorn notched 23 assists, while Abby Blasco had 10 digs. In their first game of the tournament, the Judges battled Case but lost by margins of 25-18, 25-21, 22-25 and 25-19. Brandeis lost the first set but posed problems for the Spartans in the second. The Judges rallied at various points in the set but ultimately couldn't clinch. In the third set, a loss seemed inevitable for Brandeis before the Judges managed to turn a 17-15 deficit into a 25-22 victory. However, they could not capitalize on the win, losing the final set.Paige Blasco totaled 23 kills and eight digs, while Abby Blasco notched a double-double with 34 assists and 11 digs. Defensive setter Susan Sun '13 led the team with 16 digs, while Hensley had six kills and 10 digs. After the tournament, Coach Kim acknowledged that the Judges, "despite playing in an adjusted lineup due to injures, need to work on controlling the ball and the tempo of the game as well as teamwork." These factors, she acknowledged, are crucial to the Judges' future success.Brandeis gets a reprieve from conference play this weekend, as they travel to South Hadley, Mass. this Friday and Saturday to participate in the Hall of Fame Invitational.
(10/12/10 4:00am)
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.
(10/05/10 4:00am)
This past weekend, the volleyball team traveled to Emory University in Atlanta to kick off its first set of conference matches. The team followed a 3-0 defeat against NCAA No. 1 Washington University in St. Louis with a solid 3-1 victory over University of Rochester. However, the Judges ended the tournament with a 3-1 loss to No. 19 University of Chicago."Our conference is one of the strongest conferences in the country, if not the strongest," coach Michelle Kim wrote in an e-mail to the Justice. "It's a great opportunity to play against some of the best teams in the country and there [is no] such thing as easy wins in our conference."Now 10-7 on the season and 1-2 in conference play, Brandeis ended the weekend with a loss Sunday to Chicago by scores of 21-25, 25-21, 25-16 and 25-19. The Judges started off strong, rallying from 10-4 and 16-10 deficits to seize the first set. After that, their play collapsed as they suffered close losses in the next three sets, sealing their fate in the final match of the UAA Round Robin Tournament. Outside hitter Paige Blasco '11 notched another double-double in the loss as she led all players with 14 kills. Her 50 attempts were the most of any player in the match. Blasco also led all Judges with 11 digs. Setter Abby Blasco '11 also made a contribution to the Judges' efforts by recording nine kills and 26 assists. Middle blocker Nicole Smith '11 had nine kills in the match, while outside hitter/libero Si-Si Hensley had two kills and 12 digs.To start Sunday, the Judges rebounded from the loss to WashU with a victory over Rochester by margins of 25-15, 19-25, 25-20 and 25-21. After splitting the first two sets, Brandeis carried strong momentum throughout the rest of the match and prevailed over the Yellow Jackets in both sets. Paige Blasco once again led the Judges with 20 kills and 25 digs. Out of 58 attempts, Blasco made only eight errors.While Blasco's 20 kills were a team best, Rochester sophomore outside hitter Kelly Murely led all players in the match with 21 kills.Abby Blasco had 39 of the team's 48 assists and led all players with nine block assists.Smtih was second on the team with 14 kills, but she was a presence on the defensive side of the ball. Smith had eight block assists in the win.On Friday, the first day of the tournament, Brandeis had difficulty handling its first conference opponent of the season; the reigning national champion WashU Bears. The Judges lost 25-23, 25-14 and 25-16 despite coming out strong initially in the first set, holding a late 19-14 lead. Eventually, they could not contain the Bears, succumbing to the home squad 25-23. Entering the next set, the Judges lost the rhythm they had in the first set and succumbed to the Bears in the second and third sets.In the loss to the Bears, Paige Blasco set the pace for the Judges with 11 kills. Abby Blasco aided the Judges by recording 23 assists and a team-leading eight digs. Defensive specialist Susan Sun '13 tied Abby Blasco's mark with eight digs as well. Paige Blasco said she felt the team's biggest difficulty this weekend against stemmed from its finish in conference play last year."Coming in as an underdog, and due to our poor finish in conference play last year, our team was psyched out by that," Blasco said. However, she believes there are some positive lessons to draw from their first conference matches of the 2010 season. "It seems that our team chemistry is finally coming together, and we know we have the individual skills," she said. The Judges get a brief respite from conference opponents as they take on local rival Emerson College tonight at 7 p.m. On Friday and Saturday, the team will venture to Keene State College to face both Colby Sawyer College and host Keene State.
(09/28/10 4:00am)
In the Amherst Classic last weekend, the women's volleyball team, ranked No. 6 in New England by the New England Women's Volleyball Association, followed Friday's 3-0 loss to No. 9 Amherst College with a 3-2 triumph over No. 10 Middlebury College Saturday morning. However, in their other game on Saturday, the Judges suffered a 3-1 defeat to No. 11 United States Coast Guard Academy.The Judges, now 9-5 on the year, lost to Coast Guard last Saturday in the team's final match of the tournament 26-24, 13-25, 27-25 and 25-23.Brandeis was able to split the first two sets with Coast Guard, but close losses in the third and fourth sets sealed the Judges' fate in their last match of the tournament.Outside hitter/libero Si-Si Hensley '14 contributed career-high totals of 16 kills and 13 digs, while middle blocker Nicole Smith '11 added 12 kills to the effort.Earlier that day, the Judges defeated Middlebury 3-2 by scores of 25-22, 25-19, 14-25, 19-25 and 15-9. Brandeis dominated at the outset of the match by jumping out to a 2-0 set lead; however, with victory in sight, they failed to capitalize. The Panthers rebounded with two set wins, evening the match. However, the Judges finished strongly, winning the 15-point tiebreaker set.Outside hitter Paige Blasco '11 recorded a double-double in the match with 17 kills and 17 digs. Setter Abby Blasco '11 notched 35 assists and nine digs. Coach Michelle Kim was proud of how the team played on Saturday despite not having much rest between their two matches."We didn't have much rest time between the Middlebury match and the Coast Guard match, and fatigue definitely played a role in the outcome of the match," she wrote in an e-mail to the Justice. "I am proud of the team for pushing through the fatigue and continuing to work hard."Last Friday, Brandeis lost to Amherst by scores of 25-22, 25-21 and 25-19. The Judges opened the first set with three straight points, but Amherst soon controlled the tempo of the game with a 6-1 run. Brandeis played competitively throughout the game, tying the Lord Jeffs at 12-12 and even holding a 17-13 lead. However, Amherst reeled off an 11-3 run and eventually won the set.Brandeis started off strong in the second set, but after Amherst seized the lead at 19-17, Amherst didn't look back, cruising to clinch the set at 25-21. This pattern continued in the third set as well, as the Lord Jeffs clinched both the set and the match. Smith led the Judges with 10 kills and was the only player to produce a positive hitting percentage. Abby Blasco added 21 assists, while Paige Blasco and defensive specialist Susan Sun '13 contributed 14 and 10 digs, respectively.Earlier in the week, Brandeis squared off in a much-anticipated matchup against No. 3 Tufts University, which was then ranked No.1. The Judges fell in straight sets by scores of 26-24, 25-22 and 25-18. The Judges started off strong in a set that contained 13 ties and four lead changes. However, the volleyball team could not finish and lost the set. This dynamic existed in the second set as well, as the Jumbos struggled to finish off Brandeis as each team rallied throughout the game. Once both squads tied at 22 apiece, Tufts established the tempo for the rest of the set and prevailed to take the second set.In the third, Brandeis was resilient throughout most of the set, tying the score at 14-14 at one point in the game. However, the Jumbos prevented the Judges' comeback as they took the set and matches.In the loss, Paige Blasco added nine kills, while Sun contributed with 14 digs of her own. Abby Blasco also totaled 17 assists in the match. In losing three of its four matches this week, Smith noted the team's problem in finishing its matches. "Our main problem is finishing," Smith said. "We get so close and really play our hearts out against these top teams, but we can't clinch. That's the main thing we have to improve." The Judges resume play this weekend in Atlanta, where they will begin conference play at Emory University in the University Athletic Association Round Robin Tournament. The Judges are set to face the defending national champion and No. 1-ranked Washington University in St. Louis, the University of Rochester and the University of Chicago.
(09/21/10 4:00am)
After dropping the first two sets of last Tuesday's match against Endicott College by scores of 26-24 and 25-23, the Judges rallied back and won the next three sets 25-23, 25-14 and 15-13 to win the match and improve their record to 8-2 on the year.Outside hitter Paige Blasco '11 led all players in the match with 23 kills, while middle blocker Nicole Smith '11 contributed 15 kills to the effort. Setters Abby Blasco '11 and Yael Einhorn '14 collectively had 49 of the team's assists, lending 34 and 15, respectively. Abby Blasco and Si-Si Hensley '14 each had 19 digs, while Paige Blasco contributed 18 for the match.Smith was pleased with how the team was able to rally despite losing the first two sets by close margins. "We were able to pull through and fight together for the win," Smith said. "We were capable of working through different rotations, trying new things, and eventually rallied to the victory because of it."In the first set, the Judges jumped out to a quick 5-2 lead, but Endicott seized the momentum, gaining a l3-7 lead. Brandeis attempted to make up ground with three consecutive points but ultimately could not keep pace with the Gulls, who then held to a 17-10 lead. The Judges came back to make it 22-22, but they failed to execute on their momentum and ultimately lost the set.In the next set, the Judges jumped out to an early 9-4 lead and set the tempo for most of the set as they approached the end of the set with a 20-14 lead. Yet the Judges exhibited some fatigue and confusion as they allowed Endicott to initiate an 8-2 run, evening the set at 22-22. From there, the Gulls won the second set of the match. In the third set, the Judges raced out to a 7-1 lead. Once again, the team failed to execute on a comfortable margin and quickly ceded to Endicott 9 out of the next 11 points. This time around, the Judges set the tempo en route to a 20-14 lead they never relinquished, leading to a 25-23 victory. Next, in the fourth set, things took a turn for the worse as the Gulls jumped out to an early 8-6 lead. The Judges, however, then dominated by rolling off 8 consecutive points, which they then soundly won 25-14.Finally establishing their rhythm, the Judges entered the tie-breaker set exuding plenty of confidence, which showed as Brandeis won eight of the first 11 points. Despite letting Endicott back into the tiebreaker, the Judges completed their comeback with a 15-13 win.Coach Michelle Kim thought the team's resilency was especially evident against Endicott."Our five set win against Endicott speaks volumes for the team's will to win," Kim wrote in an e-mail to the Justice, "It's not easy to be down two sets and be able to make a come back like we did against them. It shows a lot of heart and desire to win." The team plays today against Tufts University at 7 p.m., the No. 1-ranked team in New England. Kim thinks the game at Tufts will be a key game for the team."[Tufts will be] a tough challenge for us," Kim wrote in an e-mail to the Justice. "They are the top-ranked team in New England, but we will be using our adjusted line-up again, so it will be important for us to continue to work together as a team and work on being consistent in our play." After the match against Tufts, the team continues play on Friday and Saturday, where it will participate in the Amherst Classic. Brandeis is set to face rivals Amherst College, Middlebury College, and the Coast Guard Academy.
(09/14/10 4:00am)
After rolling off three consecutive victories at last weekend's Brandeis Invitational, the volleyball squad was defeated by the University of Massachusetts Boston last Saturday in the gold bracket that also featured Trinity College. However, Brandeis still notched top honors in both the bracket and invitational after UMass Boston lost to Trinity College earlier in the day. The invitational also featured Gordon College, Babson College, Trinity, Williams College, Bates College, Dominican University, Rhode Island College and UMass Boston. The Judges lost 3-1 to UMass Boston with scores of 25-18, 25-15, 22-25 and 25-18. Coach Michelle Kim thought that UMass Boston's outside hitters and middle blockers played a key role in the Judges' loss."Against UMass Boston, we came out flat," Kim wrote in an e-mail to the Justice. "They had big blockers and heavy hitters, and we didn't respond. We will see them later in the season at our end-of-season home tournament, so I am hopeful that we can have a better showing against them then."Middle blocker Nicole Smith '11 thought fatigue played a role in the team's loss."We should've made sure we got enough rest. ... It was hard to stay on our toes and get at the quick balls," Smith said. "However, we definitely played well and even took a game away from them."Outside hitter/libero Si-Si Hensley '14 had a team-leading nine kills in the match, while Smith and outside hitter Paige Blasco '11 had eight and seven kills, respectively. Setter Abby Blasco '11 had 22 of the team's 27 assists.Despite the loss to UMass Boston, Brandeis emerged victorious in its first three contests. The Judges kicked off the Brandeis Invitational with a 3-1 victory against Gordon on Friday with scores of 25-8, 25-16, 16-25 and 25-13. In their second match, the girls were pitted against Bates, who they handily defeated 3-1. The Judges took the first two sets by scores of 25-16 and 25-13, and after losing the third set 21-25, they took the fourth and final set 25-23.Paige Blasco had a team-leading 19 kills in the match, while Smith and Hensley contriubted with 12 kills of their own in the winEntering Saturday's gold bracket, the top team in each of the three brackets, the Judges dominated Trinity in a 3-0 shutout. They won the games by scores of 27-25, 25-22 and 25-22.Paige Blasco had 11 kills and 12 digs, the most of any player on the team,Overall, Kim was pleased with the team's ability to sweep Trinity."In our games against Gordon and Bates, we struggled in set three after taking the first two sets, so it was nice to take Trinity in three straight sets," Kim said in an e-mail to the Justice. Abby Blasco was the Brandeis representative for the All-Tournament team. "I thought Abby played solidly this weekend," Kim wrote in an e-mail to the Justice. "She did a good job setting and also playing libero a few sets against Gordon." Blasco was proud of her performance as well as her team's but she felt that the team had trouble closing out its opponents. "We could've performed better against the easier teams and improved on not stretching every match to four games," she said. Before the action at last weekend's invitational, the Judges began the week's play with a miraculous comeback victory against Wellesley College. After dropping the first two games by scores of 25-22, the Judges rallied back to take the next two sets by scores of 25-23 and 25-17. In the fifth set, which is a tiebreaker to 15 points, the Judges prevailed by a score of 15-12.Smith contributed a team-high 11 kills in the win, while Paige Blasco added an additional nine kills. Abby Blaco had 33 of the team's 39 assists, and she and Hensley led the defensive effort with 14 digs apiece. Defensive specialist Susan Sun '13 fell one dig short of the team lead with 13.Along with the game against Wellesley, Abby Blasco felt that the games "provided a good preview of what the region is going to look like." Looking ahead to the team's future, Kim hopes that her team's defense will improve."We need to be more aggressive on defense and be more consistent in our overall play, and we'll continue to work on that at practices," Kim wrote in an e-mail to the Justice.The team continues play tonight at home against Endicott College at 7 p.m.
(09/07/10 4:00am)
After winning its first three matches of the season, the volleyball team fell to Roger Williams University 3-0 last Saturday in the team's third and final match of the Springfield Invitational. The event also featured Westfield State College, Lasell College, Daeman College, Rivier College, University of Minnesota-Morris and Springfield College.The Judges lost the first set to Roger Williams 25-12 and went on to drop the second and third sets by scores of 25-23 and 27-25.In the loss, outside hitter Paige Blasco '11 led the team with 11 kills and four aces, while middle blocker Nicole Smith '11 had nine kills in the match. Setter Abby Blasco '11 had a team-leading 10 digs. Setter Yael Einhorn '14 had a team-leading 17 assists.In all four games the Judges played in the week, the team was without middle blocker/right-side hitter Becca Fischer '13 due to injury. Even without Fischer on the court, Smith thought the team played well over the course of the week."We played well with what we [had] available," Smith said. "We had people playing in positions we don't normally play in, and I feel we played well given those circumstances."Despite the loss against Roger Williams, who lost the championship game to host Springfield, Brandeis won its first two games of the tournament. Brandeis started play last Friday evening with a 3-1 win over Westfield State with scores of 25-17, 25-18, 12-25 and 25-16. Outside hitter Si-Si Hensley '14 led the way for the Judges offensively with nine kills. On the defensive side, Abby Blasco and Einhorn had 18 and 17 digs, respectively.After the victory over Westfield State, the Judges swept Lasell College 3-0 with scores of 25-19, 25-16 and 25-20. Smith had a team-leading 10 kills and four block assists in the sweep over the Lasers, while Einhorn had 26 of the team's 31 assists.Before the Springfield Invitational, the Judges kicked off their season Wednesday at home with a 3-1 win over Babson College. Brandeis surged to a 13-8 lead in the first game before losing the set 25-21. Thereafter, the Judges took control, winning the next three games by scores of 25-18, 25-16 and 25-18. Smith thought that the team thrived after losing the first set of the match."[We did a great job] of not getting down on ourselves when we made mistakes," she said.Paige Blasco had a team-leading 16 kills, while Smith contributed to the victory with 14 kills. Defensive specialist Susan Sun '13, striving to break out this year as an outside hitter, added to the performance with seven kills and 16 digs.With the opening week finished, coach Michelle Kim was happy with how the squad performed. "The newcomers are filling in the roles we're expecting them to fill in. . The veterans are doing a good job," Kim said.The Judges continue their season tomorrow against Wellesley College at home at 7 p.m.; they will then host the Brandeis Invitational Friday and Saturday. The team's first game is Friday against Gordon College at 4 p.m.
