NEW YORK, N.Y. – The Brandeis University volleyball team played well against top-seeded NYU despite a significant loss in the opening round of the 2022 University Athletic Association (UAA) tournament, falling 3-0 (25-20, 25-17, 25-23). The Judges then dropped another compeititve three-set decision to Case Western Reserve in the consolation semifinals (25-21, 25-20, 25-17). 

TEAM RECORDS

• Brandeis, 12-15.
• NYU, 24-6.
• CWRU, 22-5.

HOW IT HAPPENED vs NYU (25-20, 25-17, 25-23)

• The Judges played the Violets tough in the first set, with both teams hitting within seven points of .300 (.293 Brandeis, .304 NYU).
• Brandeis scored the first two points, but NYU answered to take a 9-4 lead. The Judges answered with a 5-1 streak of their own to close within 10-9.
• The home team went on an answering 5-1 streak to take a 19-15 lead, but Brandeis responded again, scoring four in a row to tie things up at 19-all on a kill by sophomore Lara Verstovsek (Houston, Texas/Episcopal).
• NYU closed the first set by scoring six of the last seven points to earn the win, 25-20.
• In the second set, Brandeis again overcame a five-point deficit, going from 11-6 down to tying things up at 13-all.
• The Judges were within 16-15 when Verstovsek suffered an injury and had to be removed from the match. The Violets took advantage in the set, closing on a 9-1 run to take it, 25-17.
• NYU took a 5-1 lead in the third set, but the Judges rallied with an 8-3 run to take a 9-8 lead on a block by sophomore Arianna Jackson (Lewis Center, Ohio / Oletangy Orange).
• The match was tied at 10-all when NYU went on a key 7-0 run. The Judges were able to hold off the Violets' first three match points before the hosts clinched it, 25-23.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE vs NYU

• Bent led the Judges with 13 kills and 20 digs.
• Verstovsek had 11 kills despite playing only half the match. Bent and Verstovsek combined to hit .340, but no other Judge had more than three kills or a percentage above .105.
• Graduate student Stephanie Borr (Westfield, N.J./Westfield) added 15 digs.
• At the net, Jackson had three blocks (one solo), while classmate Tatiana Wainer (North Miami Beach, Fla. / Schech Hillel Community) had four (one solo). Brandeis had seven blocks to four for NYU.
• Junior Ines Grom-Mansencal (Cincinnati, Ohio/Wyoming) had 28 assists.

HOW IT HAPPENED vs CWRU (25-21, 25-20, 25-17)

• The Judges had two more tight sets in their first two against CWRU, with late runs making the difference.
• In the first set, neither team went ahead by more than two points until a 4-1 run by the Judges made it 18-15 on a Bent kill. Brandeis pushed ahead to 20-16 on a Spartan error, but CWRU finished strong, winning nine of the last 10 points to take it, 25-21.
• The second set was just as competitive, with the only three-point lead in the early stages came when Brandeis made it 9-6 on an Ella Pereira (Redondo Beach, Fla./Rolling Hills Prep) service ace.
• Case Western answered with the next three points, and the margin wasn't more than two points for either team until the end. With the set tied, 19-all, the Spartans ended things on a 6-1 to take the 25-20 victory.
• CWRU never trailed in the third, thanks to an 8-0 run on the serve of Sara Edwards that turned a 5-4 advantage into a 13-4 lead. Brandeis battled back to within two at 13-11, but the Judges could get no closer as the Spartans finished it off, 25-17.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE vs CWRU

• The Judges had a balanced attack in the match, with Bent and first-year Anna Ertischek (Montgomery, Texas / Lake Creek) each producing seven kills and senior Emerson White (Lexington, Ky./Sayre) adding five .
• Borr finished with 17 digs, with five players five players recording between 5 and nine digs.
• Bent added four service aces and two blocks (one solo).
• Grom-Mansencal had 15 assists.

UP NEXT

• Brandeis will meet the University of Rochester tomorrow at 10 am in the UAA's 7^th place match.
• NYU will meet Carnegie Mellon for third place tomorrow, while CWRU will take on Chicago for fifth.