Spring Break
VOLLEYBALL: Judges complete comeback victory
by Jeffrey Pickette
Senior writer
Sports | 9/9/08
Posted online at 2:31 AM EST on 9/9/08
Tied two sets apiece and trailing 9-4 in the fifth and final set in a road match against the Massachusetts Institute of Technology last Saturday, the volleyball team was only six points away from suffering its first loss of the season.
But Brandeis fought back, reducing the deficit to three at 12-9 before going on a decisive 6-1 run to take the set 15-13, winning the match 3-2 against a team that ended the regular season last year as the top-ranked squad in the NCAA New England regional rankings.
"We did a great job of picking up on our defense," coach Michelle Kim said. "At that point … it was all about keeping the ball in play and reducing our errors."
With the comeback, Brandeis now holds a 3-0 record after defeating Johnson and Wales University in four sets earlier in the day at MIT.
Against MIT, Brandeis dropped the first set 25-19, but the team remained confident it could compete with the Engineers, a NCAA Tournament participant in each of the last two seasons.
"The game was close and we definitely needed to make some tweaks here and there, but we were playing well," Kim said.
Brandeis took the next two sets 25-20 and 25-23, respectively, to gain a 2-1 edge in the match.
"We knew we had a very good chance to win against MIT," captain and right setter Piera Carfagno '10 said. "I think our first set was a good set to get us aware of what we needed to do and how to do it efficiently."
MIT went on to score 34 of the next 52 points, winning the fourth set 25-14 and jumping out to a 9-4 lead in the final set. With Carfagno set to serve, Brandeis trailed 12-10, but rallied for the next four points to take a 14-12 lead.
Setter Abby Blasco '11 said the five-set victory over MIT would boost the team's "mental toughness."
"It definitely pushes us to do what we can and it gives us the endurance if we had to go that long in any other [match]," she said.
Outside hitter Lorraine Wingenbach '09 paced the team against MIT with 20 digs to go along with 12 kills and two aces. Carfagno, who switched positions to right setter after playing as a middle blocker last season, contributed 10 kills, nine digs and four blocks in the win.
But Brandeis fought back, reducing the deficit to three at 12-9 before going on a decisive 6-1 run to take the set 15-13, winning the match 3-2 against a team that ended the regular season last year as the top-ranked squad in the NCAA New England regional rankings.
"We did a great job of picking up on our defense," coach Michelle Kim said. "At that point … it was all about keeping the ball in play and reducing our errors."
With the comeback, Brandeis now holds a 3-0 record after defeating Johnson and Wales University in four sets earlier in the day at MIT.
Against MIT, Brandeis dropped the first set 25-19, but the team remained confident it could compete with the Engineers, a NCAA Tournament participant in each of the last two seasons.
"The game was close and we definitely needed to make some tweaks here and there, but we were playing well," Kim said.
Brandeis took the next two sets 25-20 and 25-23, respectively, to gain a 2-1 edge in the match.
"We knew we had a very good chance to win against MIT," captain and right setter Piera Carfagno '10 said. "I think our first set was a good set to get us aware of what we needed to do and how to do it efficiently."
MIT went on to score 34 of the next 52 points, winning the fourth set 25-14 and jumping out to a 9-4 lead in the final set. With Carfagno set to serve, Brandeis trailed 12-10, but rallied for the next four points to take a 14-12 lead.
Setter Abby Blasco '11 said the five-set victory over MIT would boost the team's "mental toughness."
"It definitely pushes us to do what we can and it gives us the endurance if we had to go that long in any other [match]," she said.
Outside hitter Lorraine Wingenbach '09 paced the team against MIT with 20 digs to go along with 12 kills and two aces. Carfagno, who switched positions to right setter after playing as a middle blocker last season, contributed 10 kills, nine digs and four blocks in the win.
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