After splitting wins in the MIT invitational tournament on Saturday, the Brandeis women’s volleyball team looked to gain traction in their season against Wheaton College. Going into Tuesday’s game, the Wheaton Lyons had won three out of their last five matches. This streak would end for the Lyons, as the Judges dominated the evening, winning three sets in a convincing fashion. The Judges managed a .255 hitting percentage to take them to the win, along with 38 digs and 13 serving aces. Set scores came to 25-16, 23-25, 25-15 and 25-17, with Wheaton winning only in the second set. The Judges improved their season record to 6-6, while the Lyons fell to 6-6 on the year. These two teams will not face each other again this season.
Outside hitter Si-Si Hensley ’14 led the way for the Judges by recording her second double-double of the season. Hensley achieved 15 kills along with 11 digs throughout the night. Most impressively, however, were her four service aces.
When asked about the win, Hensley said, “Every team we encounter is going to be different and they will have changed from previous years, as well. We work really hard to quickly adjust to whatever team we play.” The Judges adapted well when playing Wheaton, especially after losing a tight second set to the Lyons due to 10 attacking errors. Brandeis commanded the second half of the game, after making adjustments. To start the beginning of the third set, the Judges went on a 4-0 run, before conceding a point to the Lyons. Wheaton would attempt to gain momentum back from the Judges halfway through the third when the score was 11-7 Judges. Hensley’s two kills led the Judges to score eight unanswered points (19-8) to win the set 25-15.
Hensley was not alone, as Tuesday night’s win for the Judges represented an entire team effort. Outside hitter Liz Hood ’15 led the attack for her team, with 17 kills. Hood is now averaging 3.73 kills per set for the season. Maggie Swenson ’16 supported her team, performing a career high of 36 assists on Tuesday.
In her tenth season as the head coach of the team, Michelle Kim stated that the Judges “served them tough and kept them out of system most of the match, and that helped us get our offense organized and score points. Wheaton made many unforced errors, and we needed to work hard to reduce our errors and that helped us win the match. We also picked up our blocking this match, and that helped us win.”
Logging in three blocks each were Carly Gutner-Davis ’14 and Jessica Kaufman ’16.
The Lyons received an impressive performance from Deirdre Wilson ’16. The sophomore had double-digit numbers in kills (12), assists (18) and digs (11). Teammate Arieanne Creighton ’16 aided with 11 kills and a .304 hitting percentage on the night, but their combined efforts were not enough to stop the Judges. The Wheaton Lyons have a doubleheader this Saturday, facing Worcester Polytechnic Institute and Westfield State. The Judges meanwhile have their own doubleheader on Saturday at Brandeis, hosting Emmanuel at 11:00 a.m. and Colby-Sawyer at 3:00 p.m. in Red Auerbach Arena. This will be the Judges’ first look at the Colby-Sawyer team this season, a team they will face again in the first round of the Mid-Coast Classic on Sept. 27.
