The Brandeis Women’s volleyball team started this season with a win in the 2016 Brandeis Invitational, after a tough 2015. For their season opener, the Judges played Smith College on Friday, Sept. 2. The Judges beat Smith at home 3-0, with set scores of 25-17, 25-16 and 25-15.
Brandeis saw contributions from every player, with Zara Platt ’19 and Emma Bartlett ’20 with seven kills each, while Jessie Moore ’18 was close behind with six kills. Platt’s all-around offensive statistics led the team; she finished with no errors in 11 attacks and a .636 hitting percentage. Moore led the Judges in points scored with nine, coming from three service aces in addition to her six kills. Marlee Nork ’19 and Leah Pearlman ’19 split time setting, logging 11 assists each. The defensive base for the Judges was Yvette Cho ’19 who led the team with nine digs, while Nork contributed eight and Moore seven. Jessica Kaufman ’17 added to the defensive effort with three blocks.
The women’s volleyball team was back in action Saturday, Sept. 3 for two more games in the 2016 Brandeis Invitational. The Judges played Rhode Island College and Wellesley, splitting the double header.
The Judges started the day with a 3-0 win against Rhode Island College, earning set scores of 25-21, 25-16 and 25-17. The Judges offered another balanced performance with six players contributing between five and eights kills, with Shea Decker-Jacoby ’19, Platt and Bartlett leading the team with eight kills each. Pearlman and Nork split the game again in setting, Pearlman earning 20 assists in her fifth career match, while Nork contributed 16 assists. Grace Krumpack ’19 gave the Judges an added edge with three service aces. As a team the Judges accumulated a total hitting average of .229.
The Judges put up a solid defensive effort as Krumpack had a high of 12 digs for the game. Cho was the libero for the game against RIC with 11 digs.
The Judges finished the invitational with a 3-1 loss against Wellesley to end with a 2-1 record for the start of the season. The Judges lost the first set and came back in the second with a 25-15 win over Wellesley, but lost in the next two sets to complete the game.The final set which sealed the deal for the Judges saw Brandeis fall behind 10-0 before coming back within four points.
Krumpack contributed a solid effort despite the loss, with her third career double-double. Krumpack logged 11 kills and 11 digs. Bartlett was not far behind with seven kills, while Decker-Jacoby registered five. The rest of the team made up the 10 remaining kills. Nork set for the game, with 15 assists and three service aces. The libero, Cho, recorded 14 digs for a personal season high. Cho’s outstanding performance, exhibited by her 34 digs and five service aces over three games during the tournament, earned her a spot on the All-Tournament team.
