Amherst, Mass. – The Brandeis volleyball team returned to New England after their second weekend of University Athletic Association action of the season. The Judges faced Trinity and Amherst on the second day of the Hall of Fame Invitational. Though they fought hard on the court, they were not able to overcome a powerful Amherst squad losing 3-0 (25-16, 25-20, 25-13). Later on, Brandeis took the first set against Trinity, but was unable to convert their momentum into a win losing 3-1 (17-25, 25-19, 26-24, 25-18).

VS. Amherst

• Brandeis was overpowered by an efficient Amherst offense in 3 sets 25-16, 25-20, 25-13.
• In the opening set, Brandeis went out to a 3-0 lead, but the Purple and White went on an 11-4 run surging them ahead, 11-7. The two teams battled each other out until a kill by Jessica Kaufman cut the deficit to just one, 14-15. With the judges fighting hard, the Purple and White pushed back and took the next 10 of 12 points to close out the first set.
• Set two was a riveting match, with strong play from the judges. Amherst held the lead for the majority of play, but the judges were with them in every point. Amherst solidified their victory on their third set point 25-20.
• In the third set, the judges tried to rally back, but lost the first five points to Amherst, leaving the judges down 5-1 when they first got the serve. The deficit proved to be too much to overcome and Amherst took the third set 25-13.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• Freshman libero Yvette Cho (San Diego, Calif/Rancho Bernardo) notched 23 digs throughout the match to keep the judges alive through a fantastic defensive effort.
• Calling the shots for the Brandeis offense was freshman setter Marlee Nork (Chicago, IL/Walter Payton College Prep) tallying 20 assists and 4 digs.
• Shea Decker-Jacoby (Los Angeles, Calif/Marymount) lead the Judges attacking effort with 7 kills on the match.
• Rookie Grace Krumpack (Cincinnati, Ohio/Colrain) and Decker-Jacoby rounded out the Brandeis defense with 13 and 14 digs respectively

VS. Trinity 

• The Judges opened up strong against the Bantams with Brandeis cruising to a 25-17 victory after jumping out to an early 7-3 lead. The Bantams would catch up to the judges, equalizing the score at 9 a-piece, but the judges surged forward.
• The second set saw the Judges fall to a 9-2 beginning from some offensive hiccups and a revitalized Trinity squad. The Judges would battle back within one point at 19-20, but a couple kills from Kate Giddens and a service ace by the Bantams sealed the set for Trinity.
• Set three was even more exciting than the second set. The judges shot out to a 9-5 lead by senior Summer Koop (Long Valley, NJ/West Morris Central) and rookie opposite Zara Platt (Fountain Valley, Calif/Fountain Valley) who slammed home 6 kills between them in the third set.   
• The judges pushed to a 24-22 lead. A service error by Shea Decker-Jacoby and two kills from Trinity would see the match closed out by the Bantams.  
• Brandeis would fight hard in the fourth set to keep their match hopes alive, but were unable to put it away.
• The Judges were neck and neck with the Bantams, with the score tied up at 15 all. Trinity then went on a 10-3 run to end the Judges resurgence.  

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• For the Judges, Platt was the offensive leader with 13 kills, while Maddie Engeler (Huron, OH /St. Mary Central Catholic) added four kills. 
• Maddie Engeler (Huron, OH /St. Mary Central Catholic) and Koop each added 2 blocks to the Judges defensive effort
• Marlee Nork (Chicago, Ill./ Walter Payton College Prep) and Leah Pearlman (El Paso, TX/ El Paso) took care of the setting for the Judges, finishing with 18 assists, while Pearlman added 16.  
• Defensively, Grace Krumpack (Cincinnati, OH/Colerain) had 18 digs and Yvette Cho (San Diego, Calif/ Rancho Bernardo) turned in 15 of her own.  

UP NEXT

• The Judges next face local competition in Newton against the Lasell Lasers Wednesday, October 28^th at 7:00 PM