The women’s volleyball team was unable to get out of their slump this weekend, as they lost all four of their matches in the UAA Round Robin No. 2.

Brandeis was shutout 3-0 in each of its first three matches, as they were badly outmatched against University of Rochester, Case Western Reserve University and Emory University. The squad was able to win a set against New York University, but ended up losing the match 3-1.

Brandeis ended their weekend with a closely contested battle against NYU but dropped the match 3-1 by scores of 21-25, 16-25, 25-23 and 22-25. After a demoralizing weekend, the squad showed some life in this match but just could not find a way to pick up the win at home.

Although the loss was disheartening, the Judges had some star performances and proved that their struggles do not stem from a lack of talent. Outside hitter Grace Krumpack ’19 was a leader for the squad by posting yet another double-double, with 13 kills and 12 digs, and adding two service aces. Setter Marlee Nork ’19 stepped up her game with 38 assists for the match and added a service ace. Libero Yvette Cho ’19 was a defensive force and led the match with 20 digs.

Earlier that day, Brandeis played their hearts out against a highly ranked Emory University team but was blanked 3-0 by scores of 7-25, 15-25, and 14-25.  The squad showed improvement after getting blown away in the first set but were simply overpowered by Emory throughout the match.

Cho had 12 digs and another service ace for the Judges, while Nork registered six digs and 15 assists. Middle hitter Jessica Kaufman ’17 and libero Doyeon Kim ’20 each had two service aces for the match, and Kim added four digs of her own. Krumpack had six digs and led the Judges with eight kills.

The day before, Brandeis was shutout 3-0 by Case by scores of 13-25, 20-25 and 16-25. Case came out of the gates strong with a .429 kill rate in the first set. They never looked back as they improved their impressive record to 15-6 on the season, and the Judges were unable to pick up their first victory within the conference.

Outside hitter Shea Decker-Jacoby ’19 led the Judges with seven kills, while outside hitter Jessie Moore ’18 had six kills and a pair of block assists. Cho had 11 digs and a pair of service aces, and Nork had an impressive match with seven digs and 24 assists.  Individually, the Judges had plenty of standout performances. However, they were unable to pull it all together against Case’s forceful attack.

Earlier that morning, the Judges were shutout 3-0 by University of Rochester by scores of 23-25, 15-25, and 23-25.  Krumpack and Kim each had 11 digs, and Kim registered a service ace. Cho led the Judges with 19 digs, and Nork had another remarkable performance with 26 assists and a service ace to the tune of her teammates’ familiar cheers.

Brandeis struggled mightily this weekend, but they can only go up from here.  The squad will look to learn from their mistakes and start fresh with a brand new week of volleyball. The Judges have an immense amount of talent this year, and they will have high hopes for breaking out of their current five-game losing streak.

Brandeis’ season continues this Thursday at Worcester Polytechnic Institute at 7 p.m., as the Judges will look to pick up their eighth win.