From Case Western Reserve University Athletics
The Case Western Reserve University volleyball team wrapped up the first University Athletic Association Round Robin at the Horsburgh Gymnasium in Cleveland with a sweep of Brandeis University on Sunday morning, defeating the Judges 25-20, 25-14, 25-21.
The Spartans improved to 11-4 on the season and 2-1 in conference play. CWRU is tied for second in the conference standings, trailing only 3-0 Emory. Brandeis fell to 5-6 overall and 0-3 in the UAA.
Senior middle blocker Jennifer Ngo wrapped up an impressive start to the conference schedule with a team-high 15 kills on 29 attacks. She added five total blocks (three solo) and four digs. Junior outside hitter Rea Marfatia and sophomore outside hitter Kalli Wall each added eight kills, with Marfatia contributing six digs. Senior libero Alyssa Blessinger paced the squad with 18 digs and added three service aces, and junior setter/right side hitter Carly Scott had a team-high 22 assists.
After CWRU led by as many as five points early in the set, Brandeis cut its deficit to one, 10-9, with a kill. The Spartans won four of the next five points to lead by four, and the team opened a 20-13 lead after four straight Judge attacking errors. With a 21-16 lead, the hosts scored on a block by Wall and sophomore middle blocker Amanda Ngo, a kill by Marfatia, and a kill by junior right side/outside hitter Chloe Maciejewski to come within one point of winning the set. After four consecutive Brandeis points, Marfatia ended the set with a kill.
Case Western Reserve dropped three of the first four points in the second set but led 6-4 early in the frame. Brandeis then used a 7-3 run to lead 11-9, taking advantage of Spartan errors. However, on the service of Blessinger, the Spartans responded with seven consecutive points to reclaim the advantage. Though a bad set ended the run, three straight CWRU points gave the team a 19-12 lead. Leading 20-14, the hosts ended the set with five points in a row to lead 2-0 in the match.
After trailing 11-6 in the third set, Brandeis won seven of the next nine points to tie the score at 13. Jennifer Ngo put the Spartans ahead with a kill and gave the team a 15-14 lead with a kill after the Judges again tied the score. Two more points gave CWRU a three-point advantage, and though Brandeis would later cut its deficit to one, the visitors never tied the score again. Jennifer Ngo ended the match with her 15th kill on the day, giving the Spartans their second straight win.