Early Momentum Powers Crimson

After coming out on top in a back-and-forth Game One battle, the Harvard women’s volleyball team rode the momentum to defeat Maine, 3-1 (35-33, 30-23, 25-30, 30-21), at the Malkin Athletic Center in Saturday afternoon’s exhibition action.

“That was a very important game to win,” said Crimson coach Jennifer Weiss of the game one victory, which included 25 tie scores and ten lead changes.

In the first frame, the teams traded points most of the way, and Maine (2-10) staved off five Harvard game points before two consecutive Black Bear errors gave the Crimson (4-5) the victory.

“That’s a positive sign for us to be able to be patient while being aggressive, making sure that we take care of our side,” junior co-captain Laura Mahon said. “That’s what we did really well in that game—we never gave up that point.”

Harvard took a 2-0 lead by holding Maine to just .095 hitting in Game Two. The Crimson broke open the game by scoring six straight points and taking a 24-18 lead, capped by a block by juniors Suzie Trimble and Mimi Hanley.

Kills by Mahon, who finished with 13, and sophomore Katherine McKinley, who added 12, sealed Harvard’s Game Two victory.

Maine would not go down without a fight though, taking an early 18-10 lead in Game Three. The Crimson battled to within 20-18 before the Harvard comeback was thwarted by kills by Black Bears Brittany Kiehl and Lindsay Allman, who led Maine with 22 kills.

The tables turned in Game Four, as the Crimson opened with a 19-12 lead before the Black Bears rallied to within one point at 21-20. But five Maine errors, two Harvard kills, and a service ace by senior Sarah Cebron accounted for eight consecutive Crimson points, and Harvard closed out the match with a 30-21 Game Four victory.

“Today’s match was very important, because [Friday’s] match was such an emotional win,” Weiss said, referring to the team’s Ivy League-opening win over Dartmouth. “We had a bit of a game plan against Maine and we stuck to it.”

Trimble led Harvard with 15 kills while hitting .542 and adding four blocks.

“Suzie’s just a stud,” Mahon said. “She really just knows how to put the ball away.”

Crimson freshmen did their part to contribute to the win. Libero Katherine Kocurek notched 16 digs, setter Lily Durwood dished out 26 assists, and right-side hitter Chelsea Ono Horn added five kills and four assists.

“Our freshmen have done a wonderful job,” Weiss noted. “They fit right into the system that we are running and they really work well in the group that we have.”

Harvard continues its non-conference play on Wednesday at home against Quinnipiac before traveling to Hanover, N.H., next weekend for the Dartmouth Invitational.

—Staff writer Kevin Reyes can be reached at kreyes@fas.harvard.edu.