BROOKLYN, N.Y. – The Brandeis University volleyball team made the most of its first five-set match of the season, coming from two sets down to defeat the University of Rochester, 3-2, in the seventh-place match of the 2022 University Athletic Association tournament hosted by NYU at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn. Set scores were 20-25, 26-24, 25-20, 25-16, 15-9.

TEAM RECORDS

• Brandeis, 13-15.
• Rochester, 13-14.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Judges fell behind after two sets, dropping the opening two 25-20 and 26-24. Brandeis never led in the first set. In the second, they erased an early 4-1 deficit to go ahead, 12-6. They were ahead by as many as nine points at 18-9, but UR closed on a 15-6 run. The Yellowjackets survived two set points to take the 2-0 lead.
• In the third set, Brandeis trailed only once early, at 4-3. It was tied twice, at 7-all and 16-all, but Brandeis closed on a 9-4 string to take it, 25-20.
• The fourth set started out tight, but with Brandeis leading by just one at 13-12, sophomore Arianna Jackson (Lewis Center, Ohio / Oletangy Orange) served six straight points to make it 19-12. Brandeis won six of the last 10 points to take it 25-16.
• The Judges made no doubt about it in the fifth set, winning the first three points and eight of the first 10 to take an 8-2 lead into the switch-over. They extended the lead to eight points on a kill from sophomore Tatiana Wainer (North Miami Beach, Fla. / Schech Hillel Community) before taking the match, 15-8.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• Playing without top attacker Lara Verstovsek (Houston, Texas/Episcopal), the Judges put three different players into double figures in kills.
• Graduate student Sydney Bent (Raleigh, N.C./Ransom Everglades, Fla.) led all players with 17 kills, a new season high. Bent had just three errors in her 45 attacks for a .311 hitting percentage.
• Senior Emerson White (Lexington, Ky./Sayre) added 11 kills, matching her career-high, set against Wellesley last week.
• Junior Ella Pereira (Redondo Beach, Calif./Rolling Hills Prep) shed her usual defensive position and finished with 10 kills, matching her career-high. She made just two errors in 37 attempts for a .216 hitting percentage.
• Defensively, the Judges had four different players reach double digits in digs. Graduate student Stephanie Borr (Westfield, N.J./Westfield) led the way with 28, nine more than her previous season-high.
• Bent added a season-high 21 digs for her 11^th double-double of the campaign. Pereira had 18 digs for her second career double-double, while setter Ines Grom-Mansencal (Cincinnati, Ohio/Wyoming) had a double-double with 37 assists and 15 digs.
• Jackson led the net defense with five block assists, while Bent had four.

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE

• This was Brandeis's first five-set match and win of the season. They were 2-3 in five-setters last season, including a win over Rochester during the regular season.
• Brandeis's 13 wins this season are their most since 2018 and the second-most under head coach Alesia Bennett in her ninth season with the Judges.