AMHERST, Mass. -- The Brandeis volleyball team (9-5) wrapped up
play at the 2010 Amherst College Classic today with a split against
Middlebury and Coast Guard. The Judges, ranked sixth in New
England, downed the 10th-ranked Panthers, 3-2, but were unable to
bounce back in their second match against the 11th-ranked Bears,
suffering a 3-1 loss despite three sets that went down to the
wire.
Against Middlebury (8-3), the Judges jumped out to a 2-0 lead
with wins of 25-22 and 25-19. The Panthers bounced back with 25-14
and 25-19 wins in the next two sets, but Brandeis closed out the
match with a 15-9 win in the fifth, improving to 3-0 on the season
in matches that have gone the distance. Senior outside hitter
Paige Blasco (Greeley, Colo./Frontier Acad.)
recorded her fifth double-double of the season with team-highs of
17 kills and 17 digs. Classmate Nicole Smith
(Marietta, Ga./Alan C. Pope) added 11 kills at a .357 hitting
percentage and contributed a career-high 16 blocks (five solo).
Paige's twin sister, setter Abby Blasco just
missed a double-double of her own with 35 assists and nine digs.
She also had seven block assists, also a career-high.
After the marathon five-setter, the Judges ran out of steam
against Coast Guard (11-4), with all three of their lost sets
decided late by just two points. Final scores were 24-26, 25-13,
25-27, 23-25. Paige Blasco led the way again, with 18 kills, 12
digs and two service aces. Rookie outside hitter Si-Si Hensley (Fullerton, Calif./Troy) added a career-high with
16 kills while added 13 digs for her first double-double of the
campaign. Smith had 12 kills and seven blocks (three solo), while
rookie defensive specialist Yael Einhorn (Cherry
Hill, N.J./Cherry Hill East) tied her career-best with four service
aces.
The Judges return to action next weekend when they open up
University Athletic Association play in Atlanta at Emory
University. Brandeis will face defending national champions and
top-ranked Washington University in their first conference match on
Oct. 2, with showdowns against Rochester and Chicago also on
tap.
