Women Spikers End Rebuilding Year on High Note

It was a good year, a fair year, but it could have been better year for the Harvard women's volleyball team.

The Crimson (5-16) finished in a tie for fifth place in the Ivy League with Yale--the spikers' best finish since 1984, when the team placed fifth.

The Ivy League champion is decided by a double-elimination round-robin tournament, not regular season records, and the final standings are decided by the teams' records in the tournament.

Last year Harvard finished in last place, 0-2 in the tournament and 4-17 overall, but this year, the team's attitude was different.

"The team is a lot better than last year. We have a few mental problems of last year," junior Kelly Abraham said. "We're a lot younger team, but we're cohesive as a unit."

Turnaround

Most of the credit for turning the program around goes to Harvard Coach Wayne Lem. After coaching at Boston College for 10 years, Lem brought confidence and a new attitude to a team that was going nowhere fast.

"I couldn't believe Harvard's record when they played us the first time. They are a much better than their record," Princeton Coach Glenn Nelson said. "They are 1000 percent better than they were two years ago. Wayne's done a great job turning the team around."

"We were hoping to finish in the top four of the Ivies this year. After our first win it looked good, but we had some problems," said sophomore Captain Maia Forman. "But I'm happy with our finish. We had a fine season. We learned a lot."

Forman received second-team All-Ivy honors for the second consecutive year. The setter was just the second Harvard women's volleyball player to be named to the All-Ivy team since the honor was created in 1978.

"It looks good next year--if we can get some tall people next year, we'll be a powerful team," Forman added.

More to Come

"I think we definitely have high goals and high standards. We're feeling good about the years to come," said Stephanie Salinas, a senior. "Coach Lem really inspired us to have a postive attitude. He has a good winning attitude and positive influence."

The spikers' Ivy tourney record since league play began in 1977 stands at 10-41 (excluding 1979), and 10-23 since becoming a varsity squad in 1981. Princeton (with six titles) and Penn (with three, including this year's) have dominated league competition.

The Crimson will lose two players from its young team, seniors Jodi Cassell and Salinas. But there are 12 players returning next year--five freshman, four sophomores and three juniors.

"Unfortunately, two of our members are graduating, but we still have a strong team for the upcoming year. We are going to do a lot of aggressive recruiting for next year," Lem said. "Hopefully, next year, we will finish in the finals."

Last year the spikers knocked on the Ivy championship door. This year they kicked it. Next year they will try to knock it down.

1986 Final Standings

Penn: 19-12 (6-0 Ivy, 4-0 in tourney)

Princeton: 19-16 (4-2, 3-2)

Cornell: 22-11 (2-4, 3-2)

Brown 19-11: (5-1, 2-2)

Harvard 5-16: (1-5, 1-2)

Yale 10-13: (2-4, 1-2)

Columbia: 7-25 (1-5, 0-2)

Dartmouth: club sport (0-2)