M. Volleyball Inconsistent

Attitude says it all.

Unfortunately, the Harvard men's volleyball team just didn't have it.

The Crimson (11-10, 1-6 Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association) experienced a roller coaster season full of climactic ups and downs. In his first year with the Crimson, Head Coach Tom Wilson attempted to find the right chemistry among a wealth of young players.

However, inconsistency and insecurity plagued the team throughout the season and allowed close matches to slip through the Crimson's fingers.

"Our success depended on which team decided to show up at the gym on any given day," said captain A.J. Lewis. "It was very frustrating, to say the least, to lose to teams that we expected to beat."

To add to this season's woes, graduation will take away two of the finest players in school history. Throughout their four years at Harvard, Lewis and middle blocker Evan Mager set a high standard for future Crimson players.

Lewis, one of the nation's best servers, led the Crimson with 20 aces and a 2.742 digs-per-game average this season. A vocal leader in the locker room, Lewis has often provided the motivation that Harvard needed in order to pull out tough wins. In one of the season's high-lights, Lewis had nine kills in nine attempts (a perfect 1.000 hitting percentage) during the first match against Dartmouth at the Ivy League Championship.

This season, Mager deservedly earned the reputation as one of the nation's most intimidating threats on the court. Able to frighten opponents by slapping down thunderous kills, Mager led the Crimson with a .392 hitting percentage and an average of 3.842 kills per game.

"We've definitely laid the groundwork for next year's team," Lewis said. "I only wish that I had one more season with this great group of guys."

Despite the loss of these two invaluable starters, several key players will return in 1999 who can lead Harvard on the road to the Ivy League Championship.

"We're going on a tough summer training regimen, and we're all going to stick to it and we will all be stronger players next year, leading to one big wrecking machine of volleyball that is the Crimson," said co-captain and middle blocker Ed Pankau.

Pankau has served as a perfect counterpart to Lewis by setting the example for his teammates on the court. Pankau led the Crimson by averaging 2.57 blocks per game, which composed a little less than half of the team's blocks. With 14 aces this season, Pankau will also be able to fill in Lewis' serving shoes.

Junior outside hitter Joe Herger will also lend the team stability and experience next year. Herger led the team in digs by averaging 2.939 digs per game.

This year's talented freshman crop has given Wilson hope for next season. Leading the team in games played, setter Conor Gaughan averaged 13.038 assists per game and was third on the team in block assists with 74 for the season.

"The dynamic at practice will be more intense next season in an effort to alleviate some inconsistency," Gaughan said.

The other half of a potent one-two freshman punch was outside hitter Paul Guilianelli, whose authoritative kills became increasingly Mager-esque as the season wore on. He was third in kills this year behind Mager and Pankau.

Although its season was filled with unpredictable ups and downs, the Crimson was able to finish up the year on a high note. Harvard garnered a second-place finish at the Ivy League Championship in April. Before its final round loss to perennial nemesis Princeton, the Crimson had won each of its games in four consecutive matches.

Other highlights from the season include a first-place finish at this year's New England Collegiate Volleyball Open and its second consecutive Burgundy and Grey Classic. Those victories, however, came early in the season, before inconsistency began to plague the Crimson's offense.

"From game to game, we really couldn't rely on contributions from the entire team," Pankau said. "We definitely have the skills; I just think we had the attitude that we couldn't be consistent, and thus we weren't. We're working on changing that, and by this time next year, I'll be basking in the glow of our Ivy League Championship rings and NCAA Tournament appearance."

In 1999, the Crimson will have to feed off of Pankau's summertime confidence to prove that it belongs in the big leagues.