Brandeis Downs UMass Dartmouth in Five to Close out New England Classic

Brandeis Downs UMass Dartmouth in Five to Close out New England Classic

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Adam Levin '94

The Brandeis University volleyball team earned its first five-set win of the season today in the finale of the New England Classic against UMass Dartmouth, as the Judges bounced back from a 3-0 loss to Tufts.

TEAM RECORDS
  • Brandeis, 5-6.
  • Tufts, 5-4.
  • UMass Dartmouth, 6-4.
HOW IT HAPPENED VS UMASS DARTMOUTH (W, 3-2: 25-14, 13-25, 22-25, 26-24, 15-12)
  • The first two sets were won pretty handily, with Brandeis leading wire-to-wire in the first, 25-14, behind seven kills from junior Madison Haft-Abromovitch (Stratford, Conn./Rye CDS) and UMD taking the second, 25-13, thanks to a pair of 5-0 runs on the serve of Ella Souter.
  • UMD edged ahead with a 25-22 win in the third set, and the Corsairs had the first set point of the match in the fourth at 24-22.
  • Haft-Abromovitch had a huge solo block to fend off the first match point, then first-year Nina Schweigert (Springfield, Va. / West Springfield) delivered back-to-back kills, giving Brandeis a chance to force a fifth set. Schweigert and Haft-Abromovitch combined for a block to end the set, 26-24.
  • Neither team was able to pull away until late in the fifth set, which featured seven ties and three lead changes.
  • With the match tied at 10, junior Kennedy Lilly (Atlanta, Ga./) delivered a go-ahead kill, and senior Olivia Nirode (Keller, Texas/Keller) had a service ace to give the Judges some breathing room.
  • After an attack error went just long, a Haft-Abromovitch kill and Lilly service ace got Brandeis its first match point at 14-11. UMD called timeout and were able to side-out, but Haft-Abromovitch sent one down to complete the comeback, her fifth kill of the set.
  • Haft-Abromovitch finished with a career-high 26 kills, tied for sixth-most in a match in Brandeis history. She also career-best with six blocks (one solo) and 14 digs, marking her first collegiate double-double.
  • Lilly added 13 kills and first-year Emmory Casto (Castle Rock, Colo. / Rock Canyon) had nine. Schweigert had four kills with no errors in eight attempts for a .500 hitting percentage.
  • Junior Alexa Ho (Queens, N.Y./Frances Lewis) had 40 assists, her third career match with at least 40. Junior Taylor Lewis (Haverhill, Mass. / Haverhill) paced the defense with 22 digs.
  • With the win, Brandeis improves to 1-1 this season in matches that have gone the distance. 
HOW IT HAPPENED VS TUFTS (L, 0-3: 21-25, 19-25, 12-25)
  • The first set of the opener was the tightest, featuring six ties and three lead changes.
  • The set was tied at 15-all and the Judges were within one at 19-18.
  • The Jumbos won five-straight points to take a 24-18 lead. Brandeis fended off the first three set points, but Tufts finished it out, 25-21.
  • Brandeis got off to a hot start in the second set, going ahead, 9-4, on a service ace by Lewis.
  • The teams traded the next eight points with the Judges maintaining their five-point lead at 13-8.
  • Tufts went on a decisive run, scoring 11 unanswered points to take a 19-13 lead. Brandeis cut the deficit to four, but Tufts took the second, 25-19.
  • The Judges scored two of the first three points of the third set, but Tufts went on a 10-1 run to take control, rolling to the 25-12 win and the match.
  • Brandeis got a match- and career-high nine kills Casto while Haft-Abromovitch had seven. Haft-Abromovitch also had two blocks (one solo).
  • Ho had 17 assists and eight digs, while Lewis led all players with 15 digs.