WALTHAM, Mass. - Brandeis University senior Lorraine Wingenbach (Buffalo, N.Y.) tied the Judges' all-time kill mark with her last kill in a 3-1 win over Carnegie Mellon and broke it with her first in a 3-0 defeat of the University of Rochester as Brandeis hosted the first day of the season's second University Athletic Association (UAA) Round Robin. She finished the day with 1,725 kills, surpassing Julie Hootnick '01's total of 1,717.
Brandeis (12-8, 2-3 UAA), playing its first matches in nearly a month with starting setter and 2007 UAA Rookie of the Year Abby Blasco (Greeley, Colo.) got their first conference win with a 21-25, 25-15, 25-18, 29-27, win over Carnegie Mellon to start the day. The Judges had four players reach double figures in kill in Blasco's first match back. Sister Paige Blasco (Greeley, Colo.) led the way with 13 kills, and Wingenbach finished with 11. She tied the record with a fourth-set kill that gave the Judges a 25-24 lead, though she was unable to put away a Blasco pass on the next point that would have both broken the record and ended the match.
Junior middle blocker Bridget McAllister (Santa Clara, Calif.) also had 11 kills, while classmate Piera Carfagno (Los Angeles, Calif.). Wingenbach was one of two Brandeis players to record a double-double, adding 10 digs. Abby Blasco was the other, with 41 assists and 14 digs. Senior Violette Ruggiero (Paradise Valley, Ariz.) led the way defensively with 17 digs, while sophomore Nikki Smith (Marietta, Ga.) had five blocks (one solo.)
Carnegie Mellon (15-12, 3-2 UAA) was paced by junior middle hitter Jessica Brackin (West Chester, Pa.), who had 10 kills and five blocks. Junior outside hitter Megan Killeen (San Jose, Calif.) added eight kills. Junior setter Samantha Carter (San Antonio, Texas) had 39 assists, and sophomore libero Cameron Griffin (Lake Forest, Ill.) added 15 digs.
In the Judges' second match of the day, Wingenbach established the new school record with a kill that made the score 10-5 in the first set. It was part of an 8-0 run that gave Brandeis a 15-5 lead over Rochester (8-16, 0-5 UAA) in the first set. The Judges were not challenged in the match, which they won, 25-12, 25-9, 25-12. Abby Blasco helped set the hosts to a season-high .457 hitting percentage with a season-low six attacking errors. Four different players had hitting percentages .500 or better, paced by Wingenbach's .667 (8 K-0 E-12 TA). Smith swung at a .556 clip (6 K-1 E-9 TA), while Abby (2 K-0 E-4 TA) and Paige (15 K-1 E-28 TA) Blasco both hit .500. Ruggiero led the way defensively with 10 digs.