Senior All-Ivy M. Volleyball Players Take Final Bow

Last weekend the Princeton men's volleyball team pulled out the kryptonite one last time.

The Harvard men's volleyball squad (11-10, 1-6 EIVA) garnered a second-place finish at the Ivy League Championship last weekend at Pennsylvania with a loss to the Tigers--an appropriate ending to a tumultuous season full of ups and downs.

Princeton had thwarted the Crimson's hopes for success throughout the season. Unfortunately for Harvard fans, it was another loss to the Tigers that ended the Crimson's season.

The tournament was played in a unique two-pool format with four teams per pool. Instead of playing the traditional best-of-five match, each team played two games against the other teams in its pool. The team that gained the most points at the end of each round then advanced to the next round. Semifinal and final rounds were played in a best-of-three game format.

But, perhaps more poignantly, this weekend marked the end of the careers for two of Harvard's most prolific players of the decade, captain and outside hitter A.J. Lewis and middle blocker Evan Mager.

"We're glad that we have more time now so that we can rest, but all of us would like to have won those game [against Princeton] for our two seniors, who have been such an integral part of our team," said Ed Pankau, junior co-captain and middle blocker.

In a prelude to what would be the season finale, Harvard rolled to easy victories in games previous to the final. In fact, the Crimson did not drop a game in its four matches before the final round.

In its first match against Dartmouth last Saturday morning, the Crimson dominated, winning both games handily, 15-3, 15-2. In only two games, the Crimson racked up 31 kills and a stunning 0.627 hitting percentage. Lewis led Harvard with nine kills in nine attempts, resulting in a perfect 1.000 hitting percentage.

Harvard then went on to win its second pool match against Cornell in two games, 15-7, 15-2. During this match, Mager, Pankau and freshman outside hitter Paul Guilianelli each chalked up an impressive seven kills.

Harvard advanced to the second round and continued its dominance of the morning. Brown, who did not even have a men's volleyball team last year, was the Crimson's next victim. Harvard won the match easily, 15-6, 15-1.

"Brown was a pretty weak team," Pankau said. "We had a lot of our bench guys play very well for us. We had some very solid play during that match."

After Brown, the Crimson faced Penn in the semifinal round. The Quakers had been the second seed in the other pool and had also rolled to easy victories in earlier rounds. Harvard, however, brought Penn to its knees, winning 15-7, 15-3.

Junior outside hitter Joe Herger led Harvard with nine kills and an incredible 0.909 hitting percentage for the match. Freshman middle blocker Justin Denham was perfect with five kills in five attempts, and sophomore opposite hitter Justin Micomonaco added seven digs.

In the final round against Princeton, however, Harvard's invincibility dissolved into a veil of exhaustion.

A year-long thorn in Harvard's side, the Tigers posed the most serious threat to the Crimson's championship hopes. In late February, Princeton beat Harvard in three games at the MAC, 15-4, 15-5, 15-10.

The Crimson's brilliant play Saturday morning had apparently taken its toll on the team's store of energy as Princeton rolled to an easy victory.

"We came out flat, and Princeton came out cocky and confident, as usual," Pankau said. "We might have been tentative, scared or intimidated because we had lost to them in the past."

Consequently, the Tigers took advantage of the Crimson's jitters and won the match, 15-6, 15-7.

Despite the early and unfulfilling end to the Crimson's season, Harvard can walk away from the season with its head held high.

Both Mager and Pankau were rewarded for their superb play for the weekend by being named to the All-Ivy Team. Princeton's Brian Morrow won MVP honors for the tournament.

Even though Princeton's kryptonite temporarily forced Harvard to its knees, next season seems to be the perfect time for a sequel. --Junior Co-Captain Ed Pankau