W. Volleyball Suffers Three Losses Over Weekend

In spite of the talent, size and depth that abounds on this season's roster, the Harvard women's volleyball team proved this weekend that it still has a few kinks to work out.

The Crimson (0-3, 0-0 Ivy) turned in a disappointing performance at its first competition of the season, the New England Challenge. Playing in a field comprised of five other schools, Harvard lost all three of its matches at the Malkin Athletic Center.

"We faced some tough competition, especially since we had just finished two-a-day practices and hadn't played a match yet," co-captain Sarah Mattson said. "Overall we did a lot of great things and the tournament was a good first step for us."

The lone bright spot of the Crimson's weekend was the selection of sophomore setter Mindy Jellin to the All-Tournament Team. Named Co-Ivy League Rookie of the Year last season, Jellin was consistently successful throughout the Crimson's three matches, with 58 assists and 16 digs against Lamar, 28 assists against Purdue and 51 assists against Southwest Missouri.

Lamar 3, Harvard 2

After battling through a gritty five-game nailbiter against the Lady Cardinals in its final match of the tournament Saturday afternoon, the Crimson was unable to come up with a victory, losing 15-9, 11-15, 15-9, 11-15, 13-15.

Junior outside hitter Erin Denniston led all attackers with 29 kills. Senior outside hitter Angela Lutich, who is one of only three seniors remaining on this young team, also chipped in 17 digs.

Natalie Sarver led the Lady Cardinals with 21 kills and 26 digs, and Charyl Norwood completed a double-double with 16 kills and 10 blocks.

Lamar's defense was sharp all afternoon, coming up with 13 total blocks against Harvard, and the young Crimson was unable to keep its initial first-game momentum.

Even though it came back from a second-game loss to claim a 15-9 victory in the third game, Harvard dropped the last two games, 15-11 and 15-13.

Purdue 3, Harvard 0

In the Crimson's second match of the tournament, Purdue (6-1) shut down the Harvard offense and defeated the Crimson in three straight games, 15-13, 15-2, 15-12.

Lutich and Hart led Harvard with 10 kills apiece, and Lutich added 13 digs to propel the Harvard defense. Freshman outside hitter Liz Cebron contributed 12 digs.

For the Boilermakers, Julie Doud recorded a double-double with 19 kills and 10 digs, and Joanna Lowry added 10 kills and 15 digs. Freshman setter Jenny Bova quarterbacked the potent Purdue offense by assisting on 32 points and chipping in nine digs.

The Crimson dominated the Boilermakers early in the first game, jumping out to an early 8-3 lead. Purdue, however, came roaring back and came away with an exhausting 15-13 victory over Harvard.

The start of the second game little resembled the start of the first. The Boilermakers surged to score 12 unanswered points before two Crimson kills stopped the Purdue scoring streak. An ace by the Boilermakers' Maegan Peterson and kills by Doud and Jennie Williams sealed a dominating 15-2 win for Purdue in the second game.

"During the second game against Purdue, we lost focus and had a hard time getting our offense going," Mattson said. "Purdue's a great team, and they were able to capitalize on some of our errors."

The Boilermakers began the third game with a 7-3 lead, but the Crimson retaliated with four unanswered points to tie the game at seven. Purdue responded with three consecutive points to take a 10-7 lead, but the Crimson grabbed a tenuous 11-10 advantage after scoring four straight points.

"We were pleased to come back and play well in the third game," Mattson said.

The Boilermakers quickly put an end to the Crimson's building momentum and went on a 5-1 run to win the third and final game, 15-12.

Southwest Missouri State 3, Harvard 1

The Crimson began the tournament on Friday with a four-game loss to Southwest Missouri State, 15-3, 13-15, 7-15, 10-15.

Denniston led Harvard with 29 kills and ended up with a .304 hitting percentage. Freshman middle hitter Mariah Posipil, who saw significant playing time during the tournament, added 13 kills to the Crimson attack, an Lutich tacked on a double-double with 13 kills and 13 digs. Hart contributed 11 kills and eight digs.

Leading the Bears (7-1) were Erin Murphy, who had 13 kills, and Rese McNatt, who had 12 kills and 10 digs. Setter Chenille Bayless assisted on 40 points.

Harvard dominated Southwest Missouri State in the first game, running away with a quick 15-3 victory. But, as a sign of trouble to come in later matches, the Crimson struggled to maintain its initial momentum in subsequent games, losing 15-13, 15-7, 15-10, in its last three games.

"We really came out on fire in the first game," Mattson said. "Southwest Missouri turned up the heat in the next game, and the match was fairly close throughout."

In spite of the team's disappointing performance this weekend at the New England Classic, Harvard still has high hopes for the rest of the season. With three veteran seniors prepared to lead the way, the Crimson believes that experience will only benefit the team and will mold the roster's raw talent into championship-caliber material.

"This week in practice we can focus on the things we could have done better

last weekend," Mattson said.

The Crimson's next test will come this weekend when Harvard faces Canisius and Toledo at Boston College.