BOSTON, Mass. – The Brandeis University volleyball team split a tri-match today in Boston to wrap up their regular season today. The Judges defeated Coast Guard, 3-0 (25-16, 26-24, 25-19), but fell to host Emerson, 3-1 (25-21, 15-25, 25-23, 25-16).
TEAM RECORDS
- Brandeis, 12-15.
- Coast Guard, 15-11.
- Emerson, 22-4.
HOW IT HAPPENED VS COAST GUARD (25-16, 26-24, 25-19)
- The Judges were on the attack for most of the match against the Bears, with just seven ties and three lead changes over the course of the three sets.
- Brandeis opened the first set on a 7-2 run, scoring six in a row on the serve of sophomore Evelyn Burke (Lake George, N.Y. / Lake George). They led by as many as 10 points before coming away with the nine-point win, 25-16.
- The second set, Coast Guard took an early 8-5 lead, but Brandeis had a 7-0 run on the serve of senior Olivia Nirode (Keller, Texas/Keller) to go up, 19-11.
- The Bears fought off four set points after Brandeis took a 24-20 lead, but a Kennedy Lilly (Atlanta, Ga./Eagle's Landing Christian Academy) and a CGA attack error gave Brandeis the 26-24 win.
- A 10-4 start to the third set meant the Judges were never really in trouble as they cruised to the 25-19 win.
- Junior Madison Haft-Abromovitch (Stratford, Conn./Rye CDS) notched a match-high 12 kills with just four errors in 27 attacks for a .296 hitting percentage. She also had a team-high three blocks.
- Lilly and first-year Kennedy Hilson (Decatur, Ga./Decatur) each had eight kills.
- Junior Alexa Ho (Queens, N.Y./Frances Lewis) had 28 assists and five kills and just one error in seven attempts.
- Burke and Hilson had 13 and 12 digs each to lead the squad.
HOW IT HAPPENED VS EMERSON (25-21, 15-25, 25-23, 25-16)
- The Judges kept pace the Lions, keeping two sets within four points and running away with the second set that they won, but the match features just five ties and two lead changes.
- Emerson never trailed in the first set, jumping out to leads of 5-2 and 9-4. Brandeis used a 4-0 run on Burke's serve to close within 13-11, but neither team was able to string together more than two points in a row after that, with Emerson taking the set, 25-21.
- Brandeis fell behind, 5-1, in the second, but another big run on Burke's serve made it 8-5 Judges. Emerson would not score more than two in a row the rest of the way as the visitors took it, 25-15.
- The third set looked to be all Lions, as they jumped out to a 5-2 lead that eventually reached 19-8. Emerson was up, 24-17, when senior Ava Ferrigno (Boca Raton, Fla./Boca Raton Community) staved off five set points, closing the Judges with one at 24-23 before the hosts finally closed it out.
- Emerson rode a 7-2 start to the fourth set to cruise to the 25-16 victory.
- Lilly and Haft-Abromovitch tied for team-high honors with 12 kills.
- Ho put together a terrific all-around performance with 28 assists, three service aces and one block. She just missed a double-double with nine digs.
- Hilson led the defense with 16 digs.
UP NEXT
- The Judges will travel to Pittsburgh next weekend for the 2026 University Athletic Association championships. The seventh seed in the tournament, Brandeis will open against second-seeded Washington University.
