Volleyballers Edge N.U., Snatch New England Title

The team labored in obscurity all winter. But when the New England championships ended Saturday, the Harvard men's volleyball team had spiked its way to victory.

Led by four seniors, the Crimson squeaked by Northeastern to capture the laurels, despite a loss to the Huskies in the early stages of the double-elimination competition.

After sweeping Amherst and UMass--Amherst easily in their first two matches--the volleyballers dropped a tight, three-game match to Northeastern, falling, 15-12, in the decisive contest.

From there on in, the Crimson had to win every match to take the title; and they did, but not without a few gut-wrenching confrontations.

The spikers dumped New Hampshire in effortless fashion and then faced a rematch against the still-unbeaten Huskies. A 15-9 defeat in the first game, coupled with an impressive, 15-3 victory in the second forced the Crimson to notch a win in the final game to stay alive.

Northeastern jumped out to a 12-8 lead, but Harvard rallied for seven consecutive points to snatch a 15-12 triumph.

The win set the stage for a dramatic finale, where the two once-beaten teams battled it out in a one-game match.

Tournament MVP Chris Peterson came alive and played spectacularly in the final. After the Crimson had grabbed a 9-6 lead, the Huskies took four straight points and the edge.

Peterson's superb performance, reenforced by the play of senior Todd Tanaka, led the volleyballers to five unanswered points and a 14-10 lead they never relinquished. The final score was 15-12.

Co-captain and coach of the six-man side, Roger Martin, who along with Greg Nitzkowski capped a four-year career, said yesterday, "We had to play extremely hard to win, but we dug down deep and went out with a bang."

Or maybe a spike.