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 Wesleyan on the first day of the Hall of Fame Invitational. The match turned out to be an exciting bout with each team putting on strong performances. The Judges would be the ultimate victors of the match after five hotly contested sets (25-17, 25-21, 15-25, 23-25, 15-12).

VS. Wesleyan

• Brandeis proved too strong for the Cardinal to handle in the first set, the Judges quickly gaining a 16-9 lead. While the Cardinal offense sputtered, the Judges were pushed forward by senior middle blocker Maddie Engeler (Huron, OH/St. Mary Central Catholic) to finish out the set 25-17.
• The second set saw more resistance from the Wesleyan squad, however, Engeler and rookie Shea Decker-Jacoby (Los Angeles, Calif/ Marymount) kept them at bay with a combined 7 kills. Junior Jessica Kaufman (Tuscon, AR/ Cienaga) closed out the set with a kill to make it 25-21.
• The third set saw a revitalized Wesleyan squad hoping to keep their hopes alive. The Judges and Cardinal were neck and neck up to 7-9 score line. Then the Cardinal went into overdrive, pushing to a 22-14 lead. An efficient Wesleyan offense then closed out the set 25-15.
• The fourth set saw Brandeis wanting to finish out the match before Wesleyan could build any more momentum. The Judges tied up the fourth at 16 all, 19 all, 22 all, and 23 all, but eventually fell to the Cardinal 25-23.
• In the fifth and final set, the Cardinal shot ahead to a 6-3 lead, but the Judges rallied back getting the side-switch at 8-7 after a 5-1 run. With the momentum swinging their way, the judges pushed forward behind senior Engeler. Rookie setter Marlee Nork (Chicago, IL/Walter Peyton College Prep) closed out the match with an ace to make it 15-12.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• Maddie Engeler led the Judges attacking effort with 15 kills and 3 blocks on the match.
• Calling the shots for the Brandeis offense was freshman setter Allison Harmsworth (Bradenton, Fla/ Newsome) and Marlee Nork tallying 26 and 17 assists respectively.
• Freshman libero Yvette Cho (San Diego, Calif/Rancho Bernardo) notched 20 digs to lead the defensive effort for the Judges
• Rookie Kirsten Frauens (Rye, NY/Rye) rounded out the team's offensive and defensive efforts with 10 kills and 3 blocks