Weekend Preview

Whether they’re kicking off a season, in the midst of one, or drawing it to a close, several Harvard teams are playing key matchups that you’ll want to keep an eye on this weekend.

Women’s Volleyball at Yale (Friday 7 p.m.), at Brown (Saturday 7 p.m.)

The Harvard women’s volleyball team, currently possessing sole first in the conference standings, is set to conclude its season this weekend with nothing less than the Ivy League title at stake.

The Crimson (13-9, 9-3 Ivy) very much controls its own destiny—a weekend sweep would clinch a second straight Ivy championship. However, a myriad of possibilities, including potential two-through-four team playoffs, await if the weekend games play out differently.

Yale (12-9, 7-5) sits two games back in the division and would need some help from Harvard, as well as the other two teams mathematically still in the hunt, Dartmouth and Princeton, in order to have a shot at winning the title.

Brown (10-14, 4-8) is currently second-to-last in the conference standings and has lost four in a row.

Although the Crimson won’t play them this weekend, the Tigers (13-8, 8-4) have won five in a row and are hard-charging towards the front. Princeton now sits a game behind Harvard as the teams get set to play their last two scheduled regular-season games.

Men’s Ice Hockey at Quinnipiac (Friday 7 p.m.)

The No. 6/7 Harvard men’s ice hockey team (3-0-1, 3-0-1 ECAC) takes on its highest ranked opponent thus far this season, No. 3/4 Quinnipiac, on Friday in a meeting of two high-powered offenses.

The undefeated Bobcats (8-0-0, 2-0-0), last year’s regular season ECAC champions, received five first-place votes in the latest USA TODAY/USA Hockey magazine rankings, and match up against a conference rival Crimson team that has outscored its first four opponents by a combined margin of 19-6.

Quinnipiac is also having a dominant season, however, posting a goal differential of +21 over eight games.

Friday’s game is the first of two meetings between the two teams this season. Last year, Harvard took the season series 2-1 over Quinnipiac.

Men’s Basketball vs MIT (Friday 7:45 p.m.), at Providence (Saturday 7 p.m.)

The Harvard men’s basketball team returns from a fourth straight NCAA Tournament trip to tip off its 2015-16 campaign with a home opener against MIT on Friday, then will head to Providence on Saturday to play the Friars.

The Crimson took 2009 NCAA champion and perennial heavyweights North Carolina down to the wire in last year’s first-round tournament game, rallying and leading the Tar Heels late before losing 67-65.

Providence is also coming off of an NCAA tournament appearance. It did not find success, though, likewise being ousted in the first round.

Harvard and MIT played last year, with the Crimson winning, 73-52.