Bain Leads Women's Volleyball to Winning Weekend

The Harvard women’s volleyball team might have found its groove at the right time.

After starting the season with just two wins in its first seven games and the start of conference play looming, the Crimson (4-6) took two of three matches at this weekend’s New England Challenge, pulling out 3-1 wins over Connecticut (6-5) and Northeastern (3-12) before falling in the tournament’s finale to Boston College (8-4) in five sets.

Hosting the event at the Malkin Athletic Center, Harvard was led by the play of junior Corie Bain—who averaged a triple double over the weekend—and rookie middle blocker Christina Cornelius, who impacted both sides of the game, averaging a .350 hitting percentage and 1.69 blocks per set. Both players were named to the All-Tournament team for their efforts.

“Overall we played pretty well,” co-captain Hannah Schmidt said. “We definitely are still striving to work on a couple things, and I think we did a good job getting those things figured out throughout the tournament. We looked ready to start playing Ivy League teams.”

BOSTON COLLEGE 3, HARVARD 2

The Crimson entered the fourth set of the weekend’s final contest with a 2-1 lead, giving Harvard a chance to ride a weekend sweep into the start of Ivy League play. But the Eagles had different plans.

After holding the lead for most of the fourth set, BC was able to hold off a late rush from the Crimson, who rallied for four straight points late in the set to tie the frame at 22 points apiece. But kills from seniors Katty Workman and Kam McLain helped the Eagles force a tiebreaking set.

Workman continued her success on the attack in the fifth set, tallying three of her team’s four final kills to break a 10-10 tie and bring home the concluding game of the tournament for BC.

Cornelius helped push Harvard to an early lead, notching a team-high 17 kills while also recording seven blocks.

“[Cornelius] did awesome,” Schmidt said. “She played a lot of positions [this weekend] which shows how versatile she is and how she can really play all aspects of the game.”

Bain led the team with 31 assists and 20 digs—falling one kill short of her third consecutive triple-double—finishing the weekend with a triple-double average of 26 assists per game, 13 kills per game, and 15 digs per game.

HARVARD 3, NORTHEASTERN 1

After the Huskies stole the second set of their matchup with Harvard, the Crimson made sure not to let it happen again.

After taking the third set rather easily—the team had a 13-point lead late in the stanza—Harvard make quick work of Northeastern in the fourth set, 25-21, to come away with a four-set win after stumbling slightly in the second frame.

The Crimson played without the help of junior outside hitter Grace Weghorst and senior outside hitter Kathleen Wallace, forcing underclassmen into key roles. But that did not slow down Harvard.

“We’re making a lot of different lineup adjustments,” Harvard coach Jennifer Weiss said. “We have a couple injuries that we’re working around. I think there are some athletes that are stepping up and getting the job done.”

Freshman middle blocker Jocelyn Meyer and sophomore outside hitter Heather Sigurdson saw extensive playing time in their second and first games, respectively. Sigurdson recorded eight digs in her debut with the team.

The debutants weren’t by themselves, however, as the experience and leadership of regulars such as Bain, Schmidt and co-captain Caroline Holte kept the team rolling.

“It’s great to see...Corie, Caroline, and Hannah stepping up to the plate and keeping the chemistry going,” Weiss said.

HARVARD 3, CONNECTICUT 1

After dropping the first set of its tournament opener, the Crimson found itself in danger of going down two sets, trailing 23-19. But with the help of three kills from sophomore Paige Kebe, the Crimson fought back, winning seven of the next eight points to tie the game at one set a piece.

The Crimson would hold on to the momentum from that set, winning the next two frames by a combined margin of seven points and taking the first game of the tournament.

Cornelius anchored the Crimson defense at the net with seven blocks. Senior libero Sindhu Vegesena added a team-high 23 digs in the tournament’s opening contest, finishing the weekend with 55 digs in the team’s last tuneup before beginning conference play with a tilt against Dartmouth.