After a 5-0 week, sweeping every match, the Judges are currently 17-14 with only the UAA Championships left on their schedule. Two reasons why they are coming in with a winning record have been due to the play of their rookie middle blockersPiera Carfagno 10 and Bridget McAllister 10. Both players had strong performances during an exceptionally strong week, helping Brandeis sweep the 2006 Judges Classic, never once losing a game to the four opponents faced. As a result, both were rewarded: They were named to the All-Tournament with Carfagno getting MVP honors and McAllister receiving UAA Athlete of the Week honors.
McAllister, the first Brandeis volleyball player this year to earn UAA honors, absolutely dominated the stat sheets this week. In five games, McAllister had 48 kills, 16 blocks (3 solo) while also providing 11 service aces and 36 digs. McAllister set career highs in blocks and service aces with six of each back on Oct. 24 against Lasell and then set a career high in blocks with 11 against Plymouth State. McAllister also led the team in hitting percentage, going .467. Both the UAA Award and All-Tournament honors are firsts for McAllister.
Carfagno was a rookie that Coach Michelle Kim said to keep an eye in the beginning of the year and, needless to say, she has not disappointed, earning her third All-Tournament team award and first MVP honor. In the Judges Classic, Carfagno led the team with 3.91 kills per game, was second in hitting percentage with .451 and provided 11 service aces and eight blocks (three solo). Carfagno helped lock down the middle in Brandeiss match against Endicott, providing five blocks in ensuring the Judges victory in the Judges Classic. An interesting statistic for Carfagno is that in every match in which she plays in three games, she has reached 10 kills, the highest being 16 against Plymouth State.
At this point, Carfagno and McAllister are the second and third highest offensive presences for the Judges with 322 kills (3.01 kills per game) and 277 kills (2.50 kills per game) respectively. Both totals trail only Lorraine Wingenbachs 09 numbers of 343 kills and 3.18 per game. Carfagno also leads the team with 95 service aces while McAllister leads the team in blocking with 88 on the season.
With their success this week, Brandeis heads off to the UAA Championships at Carnegie-Mellon, where they come in ranking sixth. As a result, their first opponents will be Emory and NYU. Both are nationally ranked and both defeated Brandeis earlier this year.
