NEW LONDON, Conn. – The Brandeis University volleyball team dropped its opening match of the Connecticut College/Coast Guard Invitational tonight, falling in four sets to DeSales (Pa.) University. The Judges fall to 1-3 on the season, while the Bulldogs improve to 3-1.
Brandeis lost the first two sets by identical 25-18 scores. After being held below a .100 hitting percentage in each of those first two sets, the Judges bounced back in a big way in the third, hitting .308 (15 kills, 3 errors, 39 total attempts), to win 25-22. Unfortunately, they were not able to ride their momentum to a full comeback, losing the fourth set, 25-21, as the Bulldogs held Brandeis to a negative hitting percentage.
Offensively, the attack was led by junior middle hitter Belle Scott (Portland, Ore. / Oregon Episcopal School), who finished with 12 kills and six errors in 44 attempts for a .136 hitting percentage. Sophomore Kaisa Newberg (Reno, Nev./Sage Ridge School) had nine kills, two shy of a career-best, and tied her career-best with a match-high six block assists.
Defensively, rookie Amelia Oppenheimer (The Woodlands, Texas / The Woodlands) led the way with 16 digs, while sophomore Maddie LaMont (El Dorado Hills, Calif. / Oak Ridge) had 11 and junior Hannah Saadon (New City, N.Y. / Clarkstown North) had 10, all career-highs. Junior Marissa Borgert (Blaine, Minn./Spring Lake Park) added 18 assists and rookie Talia Freund (La Jolla, Calif./La Jolla) had 10.
The Judges return to action tomorrow against Johnson and Wales University, ranked #6 in Division III, and host Connecticut College.