Judges top Rochester, Lose to No. 5 Emory, to Earn UAA Championship's Seventh Seed

Judges top Rochester, Lose to No. 5 Emory, to Earn UAA Championship's Seventh Seed

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Adam Levin '94

At the third University Athletic Association (UAA) Round Robin of the season, played in their home confines of Auerbach Arena, the Brandeis University volleyball team suffered a 3-0 loss at the hands of #5 Emory, but the Judges closed out conference play with a 3-0 win over the University of Rochester. The win earned Brandeis the seventh seed at the UAA Tournament in November.

TEAM RECORDS
  • Brandeis: 8-12, 1-6 UAA.
  • Emory: 15-1, 6-0 UAA.
  • Rochester: 13-8, 0-7 UAA.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED VS. EMORY (17-25, 18-25, 17-25)
  • Brandeis had a couple of early leads in each set, but Emory had too many big runs in their arsenal.
  • The fifth-ranked Eagles went on a 9-1 streak in the first set, 6-1 in the second and an 8-0 string in the third to help put each set away.
  • The Judges were paced offensively by sophomore Anna Ertischek (Montgomery, Texas/Lake Creek), who had 11 kills to tie for match-high honors. It was her fourth-straight match with double-digit kills and eighth in the last nine matches.
  • Junior Lara Verstovsek (Houston, Texas/Episcopal) added eight kills, but the rest of the Judges combined for just seven kills. Meanwhile, Emory had five different players between five and 11 kills.
  • Senior libero Ella Pereira (Redondo Beach, Calif./Rolling Hills Prep) had 11 digs, while Verstovsek had 10. Classmate Ines Grom-Mansencal (Cincinnati, Ohio/Wyoming) had 15 assists on the team's 26 kills.
  • Junior Arianna Jackson (Lewis Center, Ohio/Oletangy Orange) had three blocks, as the teams were even at five apiece at the net.
HOW IT HAPPENED VS. ROCHESTER (25-18, 26-24, 25-16)
  • The Judges had their best-hitting match of the UAA season, connecting on nearly a .300 percentage with 39 kills and 12 errors in 91 attacks (.297).
  • Defensively, they held UR to .156 hitting (33 K-16 E-109 TA) thanks to a 48-35 advantage in total digs.
  • The first set was the tightest, featuring seven ties and two lead changes in the early going. Rochester took a 5-4 lead on a Brandeis error, but the Judges responded with five of the next six points. They took a 9-6 lead on a block Grom-Mansencal and never trailed again.
  • UR fought back to tie things up at 11-all, but back-to-back kills by junior Rita Lai (Sugar Land, Texas/Clements) sparked a 5-0 run as Brandeis took a 25-18 win in the opening set.
  • The Judges staged a terrific comeback in the second set. The Yellowjackets won the first three points of the set and maintained a lead as large as four points throughout, but Brandeis did not let the visitors pull away.
  • UR had the first set point at 24-22 after a Brandeis service error, but Verstovsek answered with a kill. Brandeis went on to win the final four points of the set, earning their first tie on a Rochester ball-handling error. Lai responded with a service ace for the Judges' first lead, and Verstovsek closed out the set, 26-24, with a kill.
  • The third set did not need any dramatics, as Brandeis took an early 4-3 lead that they never relinquished. Brandeis led by as many as nine points, including the final 25-16 tally.
  • The Judges' offense was paced by Verstovsek with 18 kills and a .324 percentage and Ertischek, who had 13 kills and a .522 percentage.
  • Grom-Mansencal had 33 assists and a team-high 11 digs for her fourth double-double of the season.
  • Verstovsek and Pereira also had 10 digs apiece, with Verstovsek notching her ninth double-double of the campaign. Rookie Alexis Pohlmann (St. Louis, Mo./Rockwood Summit) just missed giving the Judges four players in double figures as she recorded nine digs.