Spring Break
VOLLEYBALL: Squad drops three UAA contests in a row at round robin
by Sean Petterson
Staff writer
Sports | 10/7/08
Posted online at 5:24 AM EST on 10/7/08
/ Last updated at 3:21 AM EST on 10/7/08
After taking two close sets against New York University, the volleyball team was just one set away from beginning the second day of last weekend's two-day University Athletic Association round robin tournament at Carnegie Mellon University with a victory. The Judges' fortunes changed drastically, however, as they failed to close out the Violets.
NYU won three straight sets, including a 15-13 third-set victory to hand Brandeis its first five-set loss of the season.
For the weekend, Brandeis went 0-3, losing in straight sets to UAA opponents No. 2 Emory University last Saturday and the University of Chicago last Sunday. The losses dropped the Judges to 0-3 in UAA play and 9-7 overall.
Setter Abby Blasco '11, who has been sidelined with a hamstring injury, did not play last weekend. Libero Violette Ruggiero '09 and right-side hitter Piera Carfagno '10 filled in for Blasco.
Coach Michelle Kim remained confident in her players and attributed some of their struggles to a new lineup.
"We were going in with Abby still out and had to adjust to a new lineup," she said. "It's a lot of adjustments for our team to handle, but for the most part, I thought our players did a good job."
Carfagno cited the team's relaxed attitude when they were ahead as part of the reason for NYU's comeback.
"NYU is a pretty strong team, but we really have gotten too comfortable with a 2-0 [lead]," she said. "We kind of lose momentum the more comfortable we get with teams, and if anything we need to change our attitude."
Kim credited NYU with seizing the momentum in the third set, causing her to switch from Ruggiero to Carfagno as the primary setter, a change the Judges hadn't practiced.
Given the circumstances, Carfagno described her play as "okay" but said that she hadn't been a primary setter "ever at Brandeis" and said, "that it had been a while" at any level.
Outside hitter Paige Blasco '11 led the Judges against NYU with 17 kills and 16 digs. Carfagno had a triple-double-14 digs, 11 assists and 10 kills-and outside hitter Lorraine Wingenbach '09 had 11 kills and a team-leading 19 digs.
NYU won three straight sets, including a 15-13 third-set victory to hand Brandeis its first five-set loss of the season.
For the weekend, Brandeis went 0-3, losing in straight sets to UAA opponents No. 2 Emory University last Saturday and the University of Chicago last Sunday. The losses dropped the Judges to 0-3 in UAA play and 9-7 overall.
Setter Abby Blasco '11, who has been sidelined with a hamstring injury, did not play last weekend. Libero Violette Ruggiero '09 and right-side hitter Piera Carfagno '10 filled in for Blasco.
Coach Michelle Kim remained confident in her players and attributed some of their struggles to a new lineup.
"We were going in with Abby still out and had to adjust to a new lineup," she said. "It's a lot of adjustments for our team to handle, but for the most part, I thought our players did a good job."
Carfagno cited the team's relaxed attitude when they were ahead as part of the reason for NYU's comeback.
"NYU is a pretty strong team, but we really have gotten too comfortable with a 2-0 [lead]," she said. "We kind of lose momentum the more comfortable we get with teams, and if anything we need to change our attitude."
Kim credited NYU with seizing the momentum in the third set, causing her to switch from Ruggiero to Carfagno as the primary setter, a change the Judges hadn't practiced.
Given the circumstances, Carfagno described her play as "okay" but said that she hadn't been a primary setter "ever at Brandeis" and said, "that it had been a while" at any level.
Outside hitter Paige Blasco '11 led the Judges against NYU with 17 kills and 16 digs. Carfagno had a triple-double-14 digs, 11 assists and 10 kills-and outside hitter Lorraine Wingenbach '09 had 11 kills and a team-leading 19 digs.
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