M. Volleyball Can't Get Past Springfield

When the men's volleyball team took the court at the Malkin Athletic Center yesterday evening, the players were not quite sure what to expect.

Despite injuries and recent changes in the starting lineup, the Crimson had nothing less than its performance of the season in a 3-1 losing effort against Springfield College.

The College Pride of Springfield came out on fire. Before the match even began, the squad's rousing chants could be heard echoing through the halls. In contrast, the Crimson appeared to be flat and unemotional. But this lack of enthusiasm would not persist.

After falling behind early, the Crimson was rejuvenated by the play of co-captain Abbas Hyderi and freshman Evan Mager. Hyderi has cracked the regular starting lineup for the first time this season, and his presence was felt throughout the contest.

Down early, Hyderi made a diving save and assisted Mager on a thunderous kill. Minutes later, Hyderi found himself on the ground once again, but somehow managed to come through with another save.

The Crimson dropped the first game, 15-9, but not before junior co-captain David Cho made sure his opponents knew he had returned. After recovering from reconstructive wrist surgery earlier in the season, Cho severely sprained his ankle. Last night marked his first home game since his string of injuries began.

"I felt pretty good at times, but I also found myself getting caught up in the excitement at times. It has been tough just sitting and watching, so I was glad just to get back out there," Cho said.

Despite some faulty passes, Cho was an important contributor throughout the night.

"Dave is our greatest source of inspiration," said freshman Vincent Letteri, who turned in the most impressive performance of the match, if not the season.

While down 8-3 after dropping the first two games, Letteri entered the match for the first time as a server. He proceeded to spark a 10-0 run in a service display rivaling the best in Ivy League history. The Crimson pulled ahead 13-10 on their way to a 15-12 victory.

"I was just in a zone I guess. I felt like I couldn't do anything wrong. The team needed something, so I just came in and tried to be a spark," Letteri said.

This was not the only spark of the evening.

Letteri's service clinic came in the wake of an emotionally charged game in which the Crimson received a red card for a lengthy trash-talking, referee-bashing display. In any case, inspiration was not a problem for the remainder of the match.

Many members of the squad thanked the fan support, cited as the best of the season, for the inspiration.

"On behalf of the team I would just like to thank the fans. It really means a lot to us. It really means a lot to us. They made their presence known and it had a big impact," said Hyderi.

Unfortunately, the crowd could only take the team so far, as the Crimson was up and down all night.

Lack of concentration and poor passing led to numerous Springfield points. On two particularly depressing occasions, Harvard simply allowed the ball to drop in uncontested.

"Physically, it was inconsistent passing and weak defense that hurt us. We also really need to work on our digging and blocking," Hyderi said.

"Mentally, we lost our concentration too often. That has been a weakness all season," Cho said.

These shortcomings culminated in a 6-15 loss in game four. Nevertheless, spirits remained high in anticipation of next week's Ivy League tournament.

"We should have a good shot in the Ivies. The team is coming together just in time," Cho said. Springfield  3 Harvard  1