Coming off of a successful recruiting year, the 2024 volleyball season has commenced with eight new faces on the Judges’ roster. The Judges have played in three matches since their season started last week while also hosting a two day tournament, the Brandeis Invitational. The Judges came away having won two of their three matches, establishing a competitive stance as they power on into the thick of the season.
The Judges’ first match was held on Aug. 30 at home against Ursinus College. This match was ultra-competitive, though the Judges came away with a loss of 3-2 against the Ursinus College Bears. The five sets were back-and-forth with the Judges winning the second and third to hold off the Bears until the final set, which they lost 14-16 against the Bears. Despite this loss, each set was quite close pointswise as the Judges only lost by more than two points once, during the first set. The most exciting set of the match was the third when the Judges were trailing 23-13. Lara Verstovsek ’25 stepped up to make a kill and then proceeded to serve out the last 12 points of the set. Her classmate Tatiana Wainer ’25 also made some key plays to win this set for the Judges by posting two kills, two blocks and earning the winning point. Verstovsek led the Judges through this match with 21 points, 18 kills, three service aces and 13 digs.
In their second match, the Judges earned their first win of the season. This match, as well as the following one, was held on Aug. 31. This was the second day of the Brandeis Invitational. This match was played against the Salve Regina University Seahawks in dominant fashion on the Judges’ side. This match was won in just three sets as the Judges rose to the occasion and efficiently secured the win. Verstovsek continued leading the Judges in this match as she produced her second straight double-double with 14 kills, 10 digs, four service aces and two block assists. Wainer also continued to have great success as she had nine kills and no errors. Kennedy Lilly ’28 maintained her momentum from the first match as she reached the double-digits for kills for the second consecutive time.
In their most recent match, the Judges won again. This time it was against the Regis College Pride. The Judges went into this match hoping for a similar outcome to their match earlier that day, though they were not able to entirely assert their dominance against Regis. Through another back-and-forth match, the Judges pulled out the win after edging out the Pride in the second, third and fifth sets of the match to earn a 3-2 win. Samantha Lin ’28 recorded a career high of 30 assists during this match while classmate Alexa Ho ’28 contributed 21. The first-years have already asserted their dominance and have thus proven themselves to be fantastic additions to the Judges’ squad.
Looking ahead, the Judges will face the Simmons University Sharks on Sept. 4, and then play in the Skidmore Invitational this weekend. While in Saratoga Springs for the tournament, they will face Skidmore, Cortland and Williams.
