After getting off to a slow start, Brandeis has reeled off five consecutive wins. And after getting off to a slow start himself, preseason All-American Steve De Luca has reeled off some pretty good shooting performances.

&&g-boxl&&It turned out getting back into the swing of things after back surgery took De Luca a little longer than expected. But that was nothing compared to what he had to do just to get back on the team. De Luca's lost 2007-08 surgery was nearly never cashed in.

The full story, and some perspective on when a 40-minute game turns into a 60-minute marathon, in this week's Around the Nation.

Plus, the new No. 1 women's team has had quite a week right out of the gate, with a home win against No. 6 Messiah to start off. On Saturday, Kean travels to No. 15 Mary Washington, a young team that has jumped out to a 7-0 start but no longer has Liz Hickey in the middle to score and block shots. A look at this key weekend game in Around the Nation.