Crimson Spikers Victorious in Clutch, Narrowly Defeat Powerful Springfield

With a great team effort the Crimson spikers broke a strong Springfield squad, 3-2, in five long games at the I.A.B. last night, although they were clearly the underdogs going into the match.

Springfield has been the most consistently successful team in the New England volleyball league, placing in the final four teams in the NCAA Tournament two out of the last four years. This year alone, Springfield defeated Harvard in two out of three matches, and the Crimson has only scored one victory against them, two weeks ago at the Eastern invitationals in New York City.

Harvard spiker Peter Graham characterised the match as "do or die" for the Crimson squad, because if Harvard lost to Springfield it would have had no chance to represent their division in the Collegiate Volleyball League playoffs.

Rose to Occasion

Although the Crimson has traditionally failed in the clutch, it rose to the occasion last night. Led by Graham and captain Steve Kay. Harvard rallied from a 4-14 deficit to humiliate Springfield 16-14 in the first game.

Then came the Crimson clutch. Most of Springfield's points in the next two games were made on elementary Harvard mistakes, and Springfield won both games decisively.

But the Crimson spikers were not ready to forfeit the division title. In the next two games they played steady ball, taking advantage of a weakened Springfield attack, and in the fourth game Peter Graham blocked the last of Springfield's feeble spikers for a 15-10 win.

With the match tied, Harvard managed to jump to an early 13-2 lead over flustered Springfield. Now it was Springfield's turn to rally--ten straight points. Harvard's Peter Haviland spiked an unreturnable ball to a blocker for the 14th point. And then Graham, on a hesitation spike, sucked his blocker into the net for the game and the match.

The Crimson was ecstatic. As he cleared off the court and ripped up the base line tape, Graham explained, "It was the best consistent team work we've had all year. Everybody was psyched up, but we still held it together for some reason."

Kay was pleased with what he called the Crimson's "intelligent play." He said, "Springfield had trouble reacting to the creative and unexpected. We stopped them to death. We out-thought them."