CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Brandeis volleyball team finished its 2010 season on a positive note today, defeating the University of Rochester, 3-1, in the seventh-place match at the University Athletic Association championships. The Judges had fallen to Carnegie Mellon, 3-0, earlier in the day in pool play action. Brandeis closes its season with a 15-19 record.
In the seventh-place match, the Judges rallied from a set down to record a 17-25, 25-12, 25-20, 25-16 victory. After making seven errors with just five kills in the first set, the team settled down and made just seven errors total in the next three sets. Three different players had 10 kills for the Judges, led once again by senior outside hitter Paige Blasco (Greeley, Colo./Frontier Acad.) who had 15. Sophomore opposite Lauren Berens (Boulder, Colo./Fairview) had 11 kills and just two errors in 18 attempts for a .500 hitting percentage, while rookie outside Si-Si Hensley (Fullerton, Calif./Troy) had 10 kills and one error in 28 attempts for a .321 percentage.
Defensively, Blasco also led the way with 12 digs, tied with rookie defensive specialist Yael Einhorn (Cherry Hills, N.J./Cherry Hill East). For Blasco, it marked her 15th double-double of the season. Hensley also had 10 digs, marking her third double-double of the campaign. Senior setter Abby Blasco (Greeley, Colo./Frontier Acad.), Paige's twin sister, had 37 assists, while classmate middle blocker Nicole Smith (Marietta, Ga./Alan C. Pope) closed her career with three blocks (one solo).
The day started with a three-set loss to Carnegie Mellon, 25-20, 25-20, 25-17. Paige Blasco was the standout of the match for Brandeis against the Tartans, recording a double-double with 15 blocks and 11 digs, both team-highs. Blasco also made just one attacking error in 46 attempts for a .308 hitting percentage, her fourth-best of the season and highest since September 25. Smith added eight kills and a solo block. Einhorn and sophomore Susan Sun (Acton, Mass./Acton-Boxborough) had six digs each, with Sun also adding two service aces.