The women’s volleyball team traveled to Amherst College this past weekend for the 2014 Hall of Fame Invitational against New England Small College Athletic Conference opponents but was unable to pull out a single win. 

The squad faced host Amherst, Tufts University and Middlebury College and was only able to win one set during the weekend. 

The losses drop the Judges’ record to 5-20 overall for the season.

Outside hitter Maddie Engeler ’16 earned All-Tournament honors for her play over the weekend, picking up 20 kills, a pair of assists and three blocks. 

“I feel as if we are making great strides as a team, even though our record does not reflect this,” Engeler said. “We are coming off a win-drought, but I am confident we can turn this around and end the season on a high note.”

The squad went up against Tufts on Saturday afternoon, who entered the contest with an impressive .708 winning percentage. Brandeis fought well but ultimately fell to the Jumbos in a straight-set loss, 25-14, 25-9, 25-6. 

Libero Elsie Bernaiche ’15 had a match-high 15 digs for the Judges, capping an impressive streak for the weekend with at least 10 digs in each game. Engeler finished the match with five kills and an assist. 

The Judges faced Amherst earlier that day but ended up with a straight-set loss. 

After losing the first two sets 25-10 and 25-14, the Judges put forth a very good effort in the final set, losing 25-19. Bernaiche again impressed with a team-high 11 digs. Engeler recorded two solo blocks and added an assist and three kills on the match.

Setter Maggie Swenson ’16 almost matched her season-high assist total with 16, a game-high for the squad but fell two short of her personal record. 

The Judges faced off against Middlebury in the first match of this tournament on Friday night, ultimately falling in four sets by a score of 25-14, 21-25, 25-17, 25-13. 

The Judges faced an uphill battle after losing the first set by an 11-point margin but were prepared for the fight and managed to win a very impressive set 25-21 with a hitting of percentage of .290.  

In the second set, the squad got standout performances from outside hitter Shemira Pennyman ’15, who gathered two kills, and Bernaiche, who notched a pair of serving aces.  

However, the squad was unable to continue the work from that impressive set as Middlebury came storming back to take the match.  Middlebury came back strong, winning the third set 25-17 and comfortably dismantling Brandeis 25-13 in the final set. 

The Judges got standout performances from Engeler, who finished with 12 kills and an impressive .258 hitting percentage, and Bernaiche, who finished the match with 12 digs. Setter Julie Kim ’18 also added 29 assists for the squad.

“We just need to put it all together for [three] games in a row to pull out a [win],” Engeler explained. 

“We need to work on finishing games and consistency, but there is no lack of talent or desire on [the team as a whole].”

After a rough weekend against tough opposition, the Judges can look forward to their next three matches at home. 

The squad squares off against Lasell College tonight at 7 p.m. in Gosman Sports and Convocation Center and then returns to the court with a double-header on Saturday against Babson College and Eastern Connecticut State University, beginning at noon.