Men Spikers Cruise Past Springfield

The Harvard men's volleyball team continued its domination of Springfield College last night by defeating the Maroons in the minimum three games at Malkin Athletic Center.

The Crimson--in its tenth consecutive win over Springfield in the past four years--needed just one hour to dispose of the visitors, 15-6, 15-10, and 15-12.

The spikers raised their record to 3-8 overall (2-3 in the Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association), while Springfield fell to 8-6 overall.

Despite the absence of the injured Henry Olson, unusually hot conditions, and poor serving throughout the match, Harvard sailed over its much weaker opponent.

"It's hard to get up for a game like this," Crimson Co-Captain Russell Riopelle said after the match. "We're still going through the motions, and there's still a lack of concentration."

The lack of concentration manifested itself in Harvard's first-game serving, which included three serves which either fell short or landed wide.

But the Cantabs--aided by violations and poor hitting by Springfield, as well as a couple of ferocious spikes by Jin Park--scored nine straight points to turn a close 3-2 game into a 12-2 runaway.

With Adam Keller serving at game point, the Springfield set landed in the neighboring basketball court, completing a 15-6 victory.

The Crimson ran off another unanswered string of points in the second game. Facing a 3-2 deficit, Harvard tied the game when Park threaded the needle with another booming spike.

Springfield couldn't score again until Harvard had tallied nine consecutive points, many due to poor communication and hitting by the Maroons.

The visitors proceeded to take seven of the next nine points, but a feeble Springfield hit and a good tap by Scott Neilson--returned wide by the Maroons--handed Harvard the win.

At 3-3 of the third game, an outstanding save by Park prolonged a rally until Springfield received a net call, giving the Crimson a 4-3 advantage.