M. Volleyball Obliterates Hapless MIT

Last night showed why MIT is better known for its scientists than its volleyball players, as the Harvard men's volleyball team swept the Engineers 3-0 at home at the Malkin Athletic Center.

Harvard (2-3 overall, 0-0 EIVA) jumped out to a 7-1 lead in the first game and dominated the play throughout the match. The Crimson retained control of the net early on, including two kills by freshman David Michaels and a big block by sophomore Jim Rothschild and Michaels.

Yet, the Crimson had its downs as well as its ups.

As Harvard increased its lead to 12-2, the team began to relax, and MIT took advantage of Harvard's sloppiness. The Engineers cut the deficit to five points as the Crimson hit many balls out of the court and was unable to return MIT's spikes.

However, solid passing by Michaels and a block by senior Ryan Westendorf and Michaels gave Harvard the momentum to get out of its slump and win the first game 15-9.

"We couldn't gauge our performance due to the weakness of our opponent," freshman Vinnie Letteri said.

Harvard opened the second game with a big bang as well, with freshman Uche Amaechi making a thunderous block straight down to the hardwood. The Crimson's great teamwork completely shut down the Engineers, as Harvard cruised to a 15-1 win in game two.

Sophomore Ryan Oliver held the team together in this game with his consistent spiking, passing and serving.

"I am happy with the way the team played through the match," Westendorf said. "I saw glimpses of better teamwork and better all-around team play."

Despite losing the first two games, MIT didn't give up, matching Harvard point-for-point in the early going. Then, with Harvard up 4-3, a kill by Michaels and Westendorf and two blocks by Amechi increased the margin to 7-3.

Freshman A.J. Lewis added to the effort with one block and consistent passing and serving. Westendorf, who entered the match second in the nation in aces, added three more in this third game and finished with five in the match.

After the Crimson had built its lead to 11-5, MIT gained momentum off sloppy Harvard plays and cut the lead to 11-7. But Lewis's consistent passing held the team together and Harvard prevailed 15-8.

"We've had a lot of setbacks, but we are building back up to our standards," Westendorf said.

The Crimson snapped its two-game losing streak and will next compete at the Roger Williams Tournament in Rhode Island on Saturday. Despite the win, the team feels that there is still room for improvement.

"We performed better than last weekend...but it wasn't as pretty as it could've been," freshman Evan Mager said.

Although volleyball involves many laws of gravity and physics, Harvard showed the Engineers that they haven't quite mastered these sciences yet. MIT  0 Harvard  3