WALTHAM, Mass. – The Brandeis University volleyball team improved to 3-0 on the campaign today with a pair of wins over local squads. The Judges swept Worcester State, 25-19, 25-17, 25-17, and took four sets to top UMass Dartmouth, 26-24, 20-25, 25-16, 25-20.
TEAM RECORDS

• Brandeis: 3-0.
• WSU: 0-1.
• UMD: 1-2.

HOW IT HAPPENED – vs Worcester State

• The Judges barely trailed in the opener, leading wire-to-wire in the first set and facing only one deficit in the second. Set three featured five ties and four lead changes before the hosts pulled away.
• Sophomore Anna Ertischek (Montgomery, Texas/Lake Creek) led the way with nine kills, while junior Tatiana Wainer (North Miami Beach, Fla./Schech Hillel Community) notched a career-high eight. Junior Arianna Jackson (Lewis Center, Ohio/Oletangy Orange) added six as the Judges' top three offensive players each hit better than .300 for the match.
• Senior setter Ines Grom-Mansencal (Cincinnati, Ohio/Wyoming) had 27 assists, five digs and a team-high four service aces.
• Rookie libero Olivia Nirode (Keller, Texas/Keller) led Brandeis with eight digs, as all 12 active Brandeis players recorded at least one dig.

HOW IT HAPPENED – vs UMass Dartmouth

• The opening set against the Corsairs was the Judges' tightest of the weekend, featuring 15 ties and eight lead changes. Brandeis faced two set points when they were down, 24-22, but junior Lara Verstovsek (Houston, Texas/Episcopal) came up with a big kill to make it 24-23. After a block by Wainer and Grom-Mansencal knotted things up at 24-all, Verstovsek delivered two service aces to close things out.
• UMass Dartmouth rallied in the second, handing the Judges their only set loss of the day, but Brandeis never trailed in the final two sets. They faced four ties in the third and one in the fourth, but the Corsairs never seriously threatened.
• Ertischek delivered a new career-high in this match with 20 kills, two better than her previous best. She also had just five errors in 35 attacks for a .429 hitting percentage.
• Verstovsek contributed 18 kills with just four errors in 53 attempts for a .264 hitting percentage. She also had a team-high 16 digs and three service aces.
• Grom-Mansencal delivered 45 assists and helped the Judges hit for .308 team percentage. She also contributed nine digs and two blocks and two service aces, while converting five of her nine attack attempts.
• Junior Rita Lai (Sugar Land, Texas/Clements) had three blocks (one solo) in the match, while first-year Alexis Pohlmann (St. Louis, Mo./Rockwood Summit) had six service aces, including on two of the team's final three points of the match.

UP NEXT

• The Judges host WPI and Williams next Saturday at 12 and 4 p.m. in a tri-match.