Spikers Fall Out of Eastern Tourney After Dropping First Two Matches

A perfect GPA, a rain-free month in Boston cordon bleu food at the Freshman Union--some things just weren't meant to be.

The Harvard men's volleyball team travelled to Pittsburgh yesterday hoping to make a strong showing at the Eastern College Volleyball League championship tournament, but this also was not meant to be.

The sixth-seeded Crimson will be spectators when the tournament enters its second day today, and the spikers will have to settle for seventh place in the eight-team event.

East Stroudsburg State (there really is such a place) sent Harvard packing by downing the spikers, 15-10, 15-13, in the second round of the double-elimination tourney. Host Pittsburgh handed the Crimson a rude 15-5, 15-6 welcome in the opening round.

"It was not at all surprising that we lost to Pitt," Harvard Coach Mike Palm said, pointing out that the third seeded Panthers were "clearly a stronger team than" the Crimson.

But the loss to East Stroudsburg brought with it severe disappointment, for at times the Crimson seemed in control of the match. Taking advantage of the spikers inexperience. Stroudsburg gained ground by "picking on players that got rattled, serving at them and making them make blocks," Palm said.

Yuk Yuk

Whatever the cause, the spikers simply did not perform, displaying the sloppy passing that has characterized each Harvard failure this season Back-row players misdirected their passes, forcing setters Brad Martin and Tom Houlihan too close to or too far from the net. The passes prevented them from successfully setting up the hitters.

Even if the spikers had triumphed over Fast Stradsbourg, however. Harvard had no shot at the tournament crown "Realistically, we could have gone one round further," Palm said, explaining that only a miracle would have gotten the Crimson past a powerhouse like Penn State.

The Harvard mentor feels that it the spikers are to contend for the Eastern League crown in the future, the Crimson would have to change its program "I don't see that happening," Palm said.

This year the spikers practiced two days a week for two hours at a time, while each of the other Eastern League tournament entrants did "at least five workouts a week."

Still, the season proved successful. The spikers garnered their first-ever New England division championship, wins in both the open and championship tourney of the New England College Volleyball League and their first-ever Eastern League tournament berth.

Add to these the Crimson's individual accomplishments--All-Ivy honors for senior setter and team Co-Captain Houlihan and freshman middle blocker Jon Ross. New England Coach of the Year Laurels for Mike Palm--and it is clear that Harvard enjoyed an outstanding season.