W. Volleyball Hits Peaks and Valleys Over Weekend

It's amazing what a difference a day makes.

After demolishing highly-touted Princeton in three games Friday afternoon in New Jersey, the Harvard women's volleyball team (10-9, 3-1 Ivy) dropped a disappointing 3-1 road match to the Ivy doormat Penn.

"It's hard to say what happened Saturday," junior middle hitter Katherine Hart said. "We were a little over-confident, and we won the first game [against Penn] pretty easily, but then we got a little complacent."

At stake this weekend for the Crimson was sole possession of first place in the Ivy League standings. After Friday's win against Princeton, Harvard had been the lone unbeaten team in the league, but its loss to Penn Saturday allowed Princeton to grab a share of first place.

Harvard 3, Princeton 0

The Crimson dominated the match against the Tigers, using a multifaceted offense and balanced defense to shut down Princeton (13-5, 3-1 Ivy), a perennial league powerhouse and the leading threat to win the Ivy.

Harvard's 15-8, 15-12, 15-12 win was a confidence booster at the time.

"Everything went really well for us, and it was great," Hart said. "We were all really psyched because we were the only two undefeated teams in the league, so everyone was really fired up."

Senior outside hitter Linda Jellison led the Crimson with 18 kills and had an impressive .457 hitting percentage. Freshman setter Mindy Jellin, who has adjusted nicely in her role as the team's quarterback this season, orchestrated a dynamic Harvard offense with 45 assists.

For the Tigers, senior Melissa Ford racked up 47 assists and junior Sabrina King contributed 19 digs.

"It was a terrific match, and even though their crowd really heckled us, we played well," said junior outside hitter Angela Lutich. "A couple of my teammates and I were discussing how it was a great game because we managed to play as a team. No one really had an outstanding game, but we all worked together really well."

Serving won the match for the Crimson Friday night. During the middle of the third game, the Crimson trailed the Tigers 12-8, even though Harvard owned the first two games. Jellin then served seven straight points for Harvard, sealing the game, 15-12, and the match, 3-0.

"Our serving helped us out a lot and was able to take [Princeton] out of the game," Hart said. "Our serving prevented them from running their offense."

Penn 3, Harvard 1

In spite of its commanding 3-0 victory against the previously-unbeaten Princeton Friday, the Crimson lost an easy 3-1 match to Penn (9-9, 1-3 Ivy) Saturday afternoon.

Prior to its match against the Crimson, the Quakers had been winless in Ivy League competition, losing all nine games over three matches.

"We played a bit flat, but not particularly badly," Hart said. "They came out fired up and played the best game of their season. They made no mistakes, and we didn't get any breaks from them."

For the Quakers, sophomore Stephanie Horan contributed 24 kills and 19 digs, and freshman Michelle Kliszewski chalked up eight kills and 19 digs.

Lutich led the Crimson Saturday with 15 kills and 23 digs, and Hart also recorded a double-double with 12 kills and 14 digs. Freshman outside hitter Erin Denniston added 15 kills and 18 digs, and Jellison tacked on 15 kills and 10 digs.

In spite of stellar individual performances by Crimson players, the team was unable to stop a stubborn Penn offense. After dominating the first game 15-7, Harvard lost the next three games, 9-15, 10-15 and 9-15.

"It was really a mental breakdown, a lack of focus," Hart said. "They had a lot of runs of four or five points in a row. We had some communication errors, and that just enabled them to go on runs."

The Crimson was unable to prevent the Quakers from making explosive offensive surges. With Harvard and Penn tied at one game each, the Quakers jumped out to a quick 8-1 lead in the third game and never relinquished the lead.

"In the second, third, and fourth games, we dug ourselves into holes to start off the games," Hart said. "It's hard to battle back and win when you've dug such a deep hole for yourself."

The Crimson hosts Quinnipiac Wednesday night at the Malkin Athletic Center and will face Dartmouth Saturday afternoon as it continues to roll through its Ivy League schedule.

"It's hard to tell what's going to happen [against Dartmouth] because the Ivy League is easily matched in volleyball, and you never know what's going to happen," Hart said. "We're all pretty confident that we can bounce back from this loss and finish on top of the Ivy League at the end of this season."