Eagles Drop W. Volleyball In Three Sets

The Boston College women's volleyball team flew into the Malkin Athletic Center last night and slammed, spiked and set its way to a convincing victory over Harvard.

The Crimson lost in straight sets, 15-6, 15-6, and 15-12, leveling its record at 3-3 this year.

"We didn't play as well as we could have played," Harvard Coach Jennifer Bates said. "Boston College was a strong team though. They have been playing since August and looked good."

Boston College was clearly the stronger team last night. The Eagles used their height and their skill to dominate the Crimson squad.

But on any other night, the match may have had a different outcome. Harvard simply did not play its best.

"This was not at all what we expected," senior co-captain Jennifer Garcia said. "We were flat in the first set and that set the tone for the whole evening."

Co-captain Rachel Heit was even more adamant about the Crimson's performance.

"It was the worst game that we have ever played," Heit said. "At the top of our game we are as good as Boston College."

Harvard did not play as aggressively as BC.

The players came out tentatively and let the Eagles dictate the flow of the match.

"We just weren't mentally prepared," Heit said. "We waited for them to lose, instead of taking charge and creating chances for us to win.

"We came off a long weekend, and we weren't prepared to play tonight."

A more positive note, however, was the strong play of Garcia and freshman Heather Rypkema.

On an otherwise dreary night, Bates stressed that these two stood out as the two bright spots on the Crimson squad.

More players will have to shine brightly, however, as the Crimson heads into a weekend teeming with tough competition. Saturday, Harvard faces Bentley, Brown, and Bucknell at the MAC.

"We have to put this loss behind us," Bates said. "This week we won't work on any one part of our game that failed us tonight. We just have to work hard and be better prepared to play this weekend."