The entirety of the UAA women’s volleyball teams gathered in Waltham this past weekend, as the Judges hosted the first round robin tournament of the season. Brandeis volleyball fell to Chicago, Washington University and lastly to Case Western Reserve in the Round Robin. The competition was at its highest, with Chicago ranking at No. 14 and Washington University at No. 8 in NCAA Division III play, ultimately pushing the Judges to their limits.
Brandeis took on Chicago first, coming out strong and winning the first set in a close fought competition, 25-23, where they edged out their opponents .190 to .109 in regards to hitting percentages.
However, this powerful start was not enough to withstand the firing Maroons, who conquered the next three sets 17-25, 17-25 and 18-25, giving them the overall win in the match. Emma Bartlett ’20 lead the team in kills with 11, as Shea Decker-Jacoby ’19 (Sport Editor of The Brandeis Hoot) was not far behind with eight kills of her own.
Also on the offensive end, Marlee Nork ’19 and Marissa Borgert ’21 both had 18 assists each. Defensively, rookie Kaitlyn Oh ’22 had a career high of 29 digs, while four other Judges were both in double digits in this category. To round out the match, Belle Scott ’21 contributed seven block assists, a career high, while Borgert also had four block assists.
Next, the Judges faced Washington University, losing in three sets 20-25, 10-25, and 23-25. For kills, it was Decker-Jacoby with her match best of six and Bartlett with four, while Nork had 14 assists and Oh totaled 13 digs. Decker-Jacoby’s efforts, however, weren’t enough to secure a set for the Judges as they faced off against the No. 8 ranked team in the nation. Additionally, rookie Stephanie Borr ’22 tallied three service aces, but this was not enough to outplay the defending UAA conference champions.
In the last match of the weekend, the Judges challenged the Spartans of Case Western Reserve, taking them to four sets. In the first two, the teams were quite evenly matched, as the opposing team won the first in a 21-25 decision, with Brandeis coming back to take the second 25-20. Case came out on top in the first set, hitting at a .271 percentage, while Brandeis trumped the UAA opponent with a .205 hitting percentage in the second.
In the heart of the third set, Clare Meyers ’21 sustained an injury that would prohibit her from returning to the game, leaving the Judges with a slowed momentum that ultimately cost them the match. In the last two sets, Case pulled away, sweeping the Judges in a 16-25 and 8-25 fashion.
Borgert had another impressive showing, recording her first double-double of the season with 20 assists and 13 digs. Nork added another 20 assists, and Bartlett totaled nine kills, two block assists, and two solo blocks. Before her injury, Meyers reached 11 digs, along with Oh who also had 23.
However, it was rookie Kaisa Newberg ’22 who lead the Judges with 11 kills, accomplishing her new career-high, leading to a team-best of a .241 hitting percentage. She also had four blocks, two being assists and two being solo.
These losses give the Judges a standing record of 7-9, dropping to 0-3 in conference play. Next, the team will take on Regis on Tuesday, Oct. 9.
