WALTHAM, Mass. – The Brandeis University volleyball team will return to the postseason for the first time in five years on Wednesday evening when the Judges host the first round of the Eastern College Athletic Conference tournament in Auerbach Arena. The Judges (15-14) will take on Brooklyn College (17-13) on Wednesday, November 8, at 7 p.m. for the opportunity to travel to Frostburg State University in Maryland for the remainder of the tournament.
In head coach Alesia Vaccari's fourth season at the helm, Brandeis posted their first winning regular season since 2012, the last time they were in the ECAC tournament. The Judges played a difficult schedule this season, including a University Athletic Association (UAA) schedule that featured four NCAA tournament teams. The Judges pushed UAA top seed Carnegie Mellon to five sets in the conference tournament, believed to be a first for an eighth seed. The Judges also defeated NCAA tournament squad Wellesley College in three sets.
Brandeis is a young team with no seniors on the roster. The Judges are led on offense by junior Shea Decker-Jacoby (Los Angeles, Calif. / Marymount), who averages 2.51 kills per set and leads the UAA with 0.50 service aces per set. Classmate Yvette Cho (San Diego, Calif./Rancho Bernardo) averages 5.04 digs per set, third-most in the UAA, and sits just behind Decker-Jacoby with 0.49 service aces per set.
This will be Brandeis's seventh appearance in the ECAC tournament, winning the ECAC Division III New England Regional tournament in 2006 and 2007. Last year, the ECAC moved their championships to a multi-regional format that includes teams from all of its regions to crown one single champion.