The volleyball team, despite putting up a solid effort, continued to struggle at last weekend's University Athletic Association Round Robin. The team fell in straight sets to all four of its opponents at the tournament, which was held at the University of Rochester.

Last Saturday, the Judges were swept by the University of Chicago and then Case Western Reserve University. Last Sunday, Brandeis extended its losing streak to 13 matches, losing 3-0 to both Emory University and Rochester. The Judges are now 7-15 on the season overall and 0-7 in conference play.

Coach Michelle Kim said that the main reason for the team's recent losing streak is a matter of inconsistent play.

"It has been a challenge for our team to find consistency with our play most of our season and, heading into the last part of our season, we'll need to continue working hard at practices to improve as a team and to be more consistent."

Brandeis ended the tournament with a 3-0 loss to Rochester by scores of 25-16, 25-15 and 25-19. The Judges let the YellowJackets pull away at the beginning of all three sets, and were inefficient at the net, recording just 25 kills against 24 errors.

Outside hitter Liz Hood '15 led the team with nine kills. Libero Elsie Bernaiche '15 and defensive specialist Susan Sun '13 anchored the defensive effort, notching 13 and 11 digs, respectively. Setter Yael Einhorn '14 also notched 19 assists.

Earlier in the day, the Judges were defeated by Emory in straight sets of 25-17, 25-10 and 25-20. The Eagles jumped out to large leads in the first and second sets, never looking back en route to convincing victories. Brandeis posed more of a challenge to Emory in the third set, drawing within a few points, but the Eagles were able to kill the rally and win the set en route to earning the top seed in November's UAA championship.

Hood posted the only double-digit tally in kills for the weekend with 10, while outside hitter Si-Si Hensley '14 chipped in with five kills and nine digs. Einhorn contributed 13 assists and six digs.

Last Saturday, the Judges were just as unsuccessful. In the afternoon, Brandeis played a well-fought match against Case Western, but ultimately lost by scores of 25-16, 25-20 and 25-14.

Middle blocker Lauren Berens '13 led the team with a personal-best nine kills against only two errors in 34 attempts. Einhorn recorded a double-double in the match with 21 assists and 11 digs. Setter Vanessa Bodie '15 notched 10 digs in the loss.

Earlier in the day, the Judges were defeated by UChicago by scores of 25-14, 25-14 and 25-20. Brandeis did not pose much of a threat in the first two sets, losing to the No. 16 Maroons by double digits. In the third set, the Judges rallied against Chicago but could not come through, losing 25-20 to complete the sweep.

Middle blocker Becca Fischer '13 anchored the team offensively with seven kills and two blocks. Bernaiche earned seven digs while Einhorn collected 11 assists and four digs.

Kim mentioned the team did exhibit some excellent play during the tournament, but said that this needs to happen on a more frequent basis.

"I thought this weekend our blocking game improved a bit. We did a better job this weekend of getting some solid touches on the block," she wrote in an email to the Justice.

"We definitely had some flashes of very good play this weekend, but we need to find ways of increasing the frequency of those flashes and to decrease the dramatic downswings we tend to have within the match," she added.

This weekend, Brandeis will play at the annual Hall of Fame Invitational at Smith College. On Friday, the Judges will square off against Smith, followed by a doubleheader on Saturday against Amherst College and Bowdoin College.