NEW YORK, N.Y. --The Brandeis volleyball team finished the
regular season of the University Athletic Association with four
straight losses at the second UAA round robin at New York
University. The Judges finish at 1-7 in the conference to earn the
seventh seed in the UAA tournament, which will be held at the
University of Chicago on Nov. 6-7.
Brandeis went 0-2 on the first day, playing tough, with four of
the seven sets being decided by two points. Unfortunately, the
Judges went 1-3 in those sets as they fell to Carnegie Mellon
(25-27, 23-25, 18-25) and the University of Chicago (27-25, 26-24,
20-25, 26-24).
Junior outside hitter Paige Blasco (Greeley,
Colo./Frontier Acad.) was the star for the Judges, recording 18
kills against Carnegie Mellon and 13 against Chicago.
Unfortunately, no other player was able to get more than 13 kills
across the two matches. Paige had 18 kills against the Tartans and
13 against the Maroons. She also had 14 digs in each match, marking
her seventh and eighth double-doubles of the season.
Paige's twin sister Abby also had a
double-double - her 10th of the season - against Carnegie Mellon,
with 27 assists and 14 digs, tying for team-high honors. Senior
Bridget McAllister (Santa Clara,
Calif./Presentation) had the top defensive performance of the day,
with 19 digs, a season-high, against Chicago. Brandeis also had a
fantastic match at the net against the Maroons, coming up with 14
blocks. Junior Nicole Smith (Marietta, Ga./Alan C.
Pope) led the way with three solo blocks and four assists, while
rookie Becca Fischer (San Antonio, Texas/Clark)
had one solo and five assists.
On the second day of action, the Judges were swept by
third-ranked Emory (14-25, 17-25, 18-25) and host NYU (18-25,
19-25, 22-25). The offense struggled in both matches, as no
Brandeis player reached double figures in kills and Abby Blasco was
held to her two season-lows in assists, with 19 and 16
respectively.
Paige Blasco had six kills against Emory and eight agains NYU to
lead the team both times. Against the Eagles, McAllister had a fine
defensive match, leading the squad with 12 digs and adding three
block assists, tied with Smith for the team lead. McAllister also
had five kills in the match. In the NYU match, Paige Blasco led the
Judges with 16 digs, while Fischer had five block assists for the
fourth time this season, matching her career-best. Senior right
side Piera Carfagno (Los Angeles, Calif./Campbell
Hall School) was second on the squad against the Violets with six
kills.
The Judges are next in action at Smith College for the Hall of
Fame Invitational. The fifth-seeded Judges will take on
fourth-seeded MIT in the opening round.
BRANDEIS-CARNEGIE
MELLON BOX SCORE
BRANDEIS-CHICAGO BOX
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BRANDEIS-EMORY BOX
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BRANDEIS-NYU BOX
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