One week after seeing its NCAA Tournament chances fade away, the volleyball team rebounded to seize the one tournament it already knew how to win.The Judges defended their Eastern College Athletic Conference New England Division III title last weekend, sweeping three consecutive teams. They beat eighth-seeded Plymouth State University in the quarterfinals last Wednesday night and followed that up with two more 3-0 wins over fifth-seeded Keene State College in the semifinals and third-seeded Colby-Sawyer College in the finals last Saturday to retain the championship it won last season.

With the title, the Judges clinched a school record for wins in a season, finishing 28-10.

"It's definitely an accomplishment," coach Michelle Kim said. "This year, we have accomplished a lot of things, a lot of 'first time since whatever year,' but we've never had [an accomplishment] where [it's] 'first time ever' doing this."

Outside hitter Lorraine Wingenbach '09 won the Most Valuable Player award for the second straight year and also received first team all-New England and second team all-University Athletic Association honors. Setter Abby Blasco '11 was named the UAA Rookie of the Year.

"We'll be having nightmares about [Wingenbach]," Colby-Sawyer coach Chad Braeggelmann said.

At the start of the championship match against Colby-Sawyer, it looked like the Judges might not break the wins record. They trailed 5-0 early in the first game and later fell behind 12-6. But the Judges slowly chipped away at the lead until a Wingenbach kill tied the game at 15. After the teams traded four points, the Judges scored four straight to take a 21-17 lead they never relinquished, winning the game 30-21.

The Judges carried their momentum from the first game into the second, taking an early 8-3 lead with Wingenbach serving and eventually winning 30-22. They never let Colby-Sawyer string together a rally, as the Chargers only scored more than two points in a row once during the game.

The Judges trailed 19-18 in the third game before Wingenbach keyed a 10-3 with five kills in a six-point span. The Chargers wouldn't quit and won four straight points to pull to within 28-26, but after a Brandeis timeout, they clinched the title with two straight kills by middle blocker Bridget McAllister '10.

"I felt like [Colby-Sawyer] was catching up, and we were kind of getting tentative," Kim said. "I told them to just relax, and we have this in the bag."

Wingenbach punctuated her second-straight ECAC MVP performance with 19 kills in the final. She finished the tournament with 51 kills, 23 digs and seven aces.

"Every time [Brandeis] gets in trouble, they set it up outside to Wingenbach, and that makes it a little bit tougher to defend," Braeggelmann said.

Outside hitter Elizabeth Villalino '11 added 10 kills and a .474 hitting percentage in the title match, while fellow rookie setter Abby Blasco '11 had 44 assists and nine digs.

Earlier in the day, the Judges defeated Keene State College in the semifinals 30-27, 30-17, 30-21. Like the championship match, the Judges started slowly, falling behind 8-4 early and trailing 27-22 late in the game. But they rebounded to score eight straight points to win the game 30-27.

"It just takes us a little while to try and figure the other team out," Kim said. "But we pulled it out. This team knows when to turn on the switch and kick it into high gear."

The second game wasn't as dramatic, as the Judges took the first lead at 3-2 and kept slowly expanding it, winning 30-17. The third game was much of the same, with the Judges jumping out to an early 10-5 lead and cruising to a 30-21 win.

In the quarterfinal victory over Plymouth State last Wednesday, Brandeis went on a six-point run in the first game with Wingenbach serving and pulled away to win 30-20. In the second game the Judges never trailed in winning 30-18, and they were even more dominant in the third game, winning 30-10.

The ECAC title punctuated one of the best years in school history. Besides setting the school record for victories, the Judges earned their first top-four UAA finish since 1990 and were on the outskirts of an NCAA Tournament bid. Wingenbach continued to star, while Blasco thrived as the new setter, winning the UAA Rookie of the Year award.

Next season holds more promise, as only opposite position player Ashley Powers 'and defensive specialist Shannon Trees '08, among the team's top nine players, will graduate. Wingenbach and Ruggiero will be seniors, while rookies Blasco and Villalino will also return.

"We're very, very close to that next level," Kim said. "I hope that we can carry this onto next season.