Women's Volleyball Sweeps Quinnipiac, 3-0

The Harvard women's volleyball team learned that losing a match can be an extremely effective wake-up call.

Harvard defeated Quinnipiac (4-15) in three easy games Wednesday evening, following a three-game win at Columbia last weekend.

The Crimson (9-10, 1-3 Ivy) has been on a road tear to avenge a grueling five-game loss at Cornell last Friday and has used Columbia and Quinnipiac as its most recent targets for revenge.

Harvard thoroughly outplayed the Braves, who have lost their last four matches, en route to an easy 15-9, 15-8, 15-10 victory at Burt Kahn Court.

"We basically dominated the whole match," said freshman middle hitter Mariah Pospisil. "We did what we needed to win…everybody played well."

The defense especially shone against Quinnipiac effort, never letting the Braves see light in a one-sided match. Despite a fiery 13 kills from Quinnipiac sophomore outside hitter Heather Wollyoung and 24 assists from sophomore setter Kristin Greene, the Braves' offense sputtered against the Crimson.

Sophomore setter Mindy Jellin contributed 10 digs to thwart the Quinnipiac attack, while senior outside hitter and co-captain Sarah Mattson also played well in the back row.

"We did a great job of jumping on them," Pospisil added. "We never let them going and wore them down."

The Crimson also turned in a spectacular offensive performance. Jellin complemented her defensive performance with a match-high 39 assists. Junior outside hitter Erin Denniston had another usual devastating outing against the Braves, recording double digits in kills with 13.

The Crimson victory proved even more impressive considering that Harvard's starting six players were often not playing, as Coach Jennifer Weiss experimented with different lineups.

Many non-starters took advantage of these opportunities and excelled. For instance, freshman middle hitter Lauren Gallagher demonstrated her versatality with an exceptional performance at opposite. Sophomore outside hitter Nicole Meunier stood out with exceptional play in the second and third games.

Perhaps most importantly, the dominating win indicated that the team may finally be gelling together as the regular season draws to a close.

"We clicked, just like we clicked against Columbia [on Saturday]," said sophomore outside hitter Liz Cebron. "With so many freshmen on the team, we needed to get to know each other by playing…we have better chemistry now."

"We've been talking about our potential all season," Pospisil added. "Now it's time to realize it. We need a winning streak, and hopefully that's what this is now."

Harvard fans hope that the winning streak will continue this weekend, as the Crimson travel to Hanover to take on a dangerous Dartmouth squad in what should be a pivotal Ivy matchup.

With a dismal 1-3 league record, Harvard needs a win against the Big Green to improve its seeding in the upcoming Ivy League Tournament and improve its chances for an NCAA playoff berth.