CLAREMONT, Calif. – Behind the stellar play of junior middle hitter Emma Bartlett (Duxbury, Mass./Duxbury), the Brandeis University volleyball team split a pair of matches on the West Coast today. The Judges nearly pulled off an epic upset of top-ranked and defending Division III champions Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, falling 3-2, with the fifth set decided by a 17-15 score. The Judges bounced back to defeat the University of Redlands in four sets to end their season-opening trip with a 3-1 record.

C-M-S 3, BRANDEIS 2 (18-25, 19-25, 25-22, 25-13, 15-17)

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Playing against the home team, the Judges fell behind, two sets to none before rallying. The Athenas won the first two set, 25-18, 25-19.
• After losing the second set despite a .333 team hitting percentage, the Judges were able to hi .290 in the third and .278 in the fourth to even the match. Brandeis won the sets, 25-22.
• In the deciding fifth set, the lead was never larger than two points, and that was an early 3-1 lead by CMS.
• Brandeis answered with three in a row, taking a 4-3 lead on a kill by senior Shea Decker-Jacoby (Los Angeles, Calif./Marymount).
• Brandeis had the first match point, getting to 14-13 on a kill by sophomore Claire Meyers (Richfield, Wisc./Slinger), but CMS answered with the next two points by Lucila Grinapan, the latter giving the hosts a 15-14 lead.
• Decker-Jacoby answered to extend the match to 15-all, but the Athenas got kills from Amanda Walker and Melanie Moore to avert the upset bid.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• Bartlett was fantastic for the Judges, posting a match- and career-high 21 kills with just three errors in 33 attacks for a .545 hitting percentage.
• It was her third career match hitting better than .500, second only to an 8-0-11 (.727) performance as a sophomore against RIT.
• Bartlett also contributed a team-high four block assists.
• In addition to Bartlett, three other Judges reached double figures in kills: Decker-Jacoby with 12, Meyers and senior Zara Platt (Fountain Valley, Calif. / Fountain Valley) with 11 each.
• Senior setter Marlee Nork (Chicago, Ill./Walter Payton College Prep) joined Bartlett in setting a career-high in the match, as she dished 52 assists.
• Defensively, senior Yvette Cho (San Diego, Calif. / Rancho Bernardo) added a match-high 23 digs. Meyers (13 digs) and Nork (10 digs) also reach double-double status.

BRANDEIS 3, REDLANDS 1 (25-20, 21-25, 25-18, 25-11)

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Judges and Bulldogs split the first two sets in the final match of the day. Brandeis won the first, 25-20, and Redlands took the second, 25-21.
• Brandeis got stronger as the match went on, winning the third, 25-18 and the final set, 25-11, their best of the weekend.
• The Judges posted a strong advantage from behind the service line, delivering 17 aces in the match, compared to four for UR. They also outhit Redlands, .224 (a season-high) to .192.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• Rookie Stephanie Borr (Westfield, N.J. / Westfield) led all players with a career-high 13 kills, while Bartlett had another efficient match with 11 kills and three errors in 23 attempts for a .348 percentage.
• Decker-Jacoby also hit above .300, going 9-2-20 for a .350 percentage.
• Bartlett also delivered four of the team's 17 aces, while four others had three each.
• Sophomore Marissa Borgert (Blaine, Minn. / Spring Lake Park) registered 40 assists, while rookie defensive specialist Kaitlyn Oh (Santa Clara, Calif./Cupertino) had 13 digs and Cho had 10.

UP NEXT

• The Judges are home for their next three matches, starting with home matches against Maine-Presque Isle and Bowdoin next Friday evening.