South Hadley, Mass.--Despite a strong first set, Brandeis University women's volleyball fell, 3-1 (25-22, 23-25, 20-15, 22-15)  to Tufts Univeristy Friday evening in their first match of Hall of Fame Invitational hosted by Smith College. The Judges record falls to 13-12, while Tufts improves to 17-7.

The Judges had a strong first set, posting 17 kills, their highest of the match.  Senior outside hitter Paige Blasco (Greeley, CO/Frontier Acad.) led the team in points, making 13 kills, a solo block and two block assists, for 15.5 points.  Blasco also led the team with 14 digs.  Classmate  middle blocker Nicole Smith (Marietta, GA/Alan C. Pope) also played a fine match with six kills, one solo block and seven block assists for 13.5 points.  Sophomore outside hitter Lauren Berens (Boulder, CO/Fairview) notched 10 kills, a solo block and four block assists for 13 points. 

Today,Tufts will play Middlebury College, while Brandeis looks to improve their record in their match against MIT.