Women's Volleyball Rallies Against Brown, Falls to Yale in Weekend Split

Playing on Friday in Providence, R.I., Harvard defeated Brown in five sets after conceding the first two frames. On Saturday, the Crimson travelled to New Haven, Conn., to face Yale, a game which Harvard lost in three, tightly-contested sets.

HARVARD 3, BROWN 2

Although the Crimson edged out Brown in blocks, digs, aces, and hitting percentage, the statistics do not tell the full story of the matchup. Dropping the first two sets against the Bears(8-9, 1-6 Ivy), Harvard (8-8, 3-4) faced an away sweep in Providence. A loss in the third set would bring the Crimson’s two game win streak, consisting of their first victories in the Ancient Eight this year, to an end.

However, Harvard was not deterred. Entering the locker room after the second set, the team collectively found a new energy, realizing that they haven’t been playing to their usual standard.

“I think it really came down to that mentality and that urgency of knowing that if we don't get this last game it could potentially really hurt our season,” senior co-captain Christina Cornelius said.“But we realized that it shouldn’t be a stressful situation. It should be more of us being excited for the comeback.”

That excitement was on display. Harvard came out of the break a different team. With its back against the wall, the Crimson held Brown to a .000 attack percentage in the third and fourth sets. As the game progressed, the scoreline began deviating greatly, as Harvard won the fourth set by 11 and the fifth by 6. To round off the match, Harvard’s play was nearly flawless, as the team recorded only one error in the fifth set.

Cornelius led the surge, contributing 18 kills throughout the game, a statistic tying her career-high. Sophomore outside hitter Mindie Mabry and junior outside hitter Grace Roberts-Burbank also contributed double digit kills in the victory. Senior libero Anna Uhr led the team in digs with 22, and senior co-captain Brooke Istvan added 15 digs to the team’s total of 88.

With this comeback victory, the Crimson evened the all-time series with the Bears, with each team now having 37 wins against the other.

YALE 3, HARVARD 0

Looking to extend its Ivy League win streak, Harvard arrived in New Haven, Conn., on Saturday to face a Yale team that only had one loss in conference play.

The first set was decided by a two-point difference in the Bulldogs’ favor. The second set beared the same result, and the Crimson found itself in the same situation as it did the night before in Providence.

However, this time, the comeback couldn’t be made. The third set was lost by the same two-point margin as the first couple of sets. With the loss came the end of Harvard’s three-game win streak.

Although the Crimson did suffer a sweep, the scoreline did not fully depict the reality of the game. Harvard showed promise in the loss against a well-prepared and talented Yale team. Ending with six more blocks than the Bulldogs’ 15, Harvard showed dominance on the defensive end. On the offensive side, the Crimson ended with a better hitting percentage (.146) than Yale. Once again, Christina Cornelius led Harvard in kills with 11. Anna Uhr led the squad in digs with 24.

Practicing ahead of the second half of their conference schedule, Harvard is working on its mental toughness to separate itself from the competition.

“What [the game] came down to was mental toughness.” senior co-captain Brooke Istvan said. “In such a tightly-contested game, the mental toughness determines who is resilient enough to come out on top.”

In five of the first seven conference games this season, Harvard played away from home. Having to travel to a different school and play in front of an opposing crowd is always a difficult task, and it was no different against Yale. The fan turnout on Saturday noticeably contributed to the Bulldogs’ will in each of the three tightly-contested sets.

“Yale had a bunch of fans and a bunch more energy because of that,” Istvan said.

And with a game in which the teams are as evenly matched as Harvard and Yale are, the energy level is crucial to having success.

“Having the home court advantage is huge,” Istvan said. “It can really carry you and help you throughout the game.”

With the second half of the Ivy League season coming up, Harvard is facing a five-match home stretch. The Crimson return to the Malkin Athletic Center this Friday, 10/19, against Dartmouth.