M. Spikers Lose at Tourney

The Harvard men's volleyball team limped home after an unexpected elimination in the early pool play Saturday's preseason tournament at Vassar College.

The Crimson was undaunted in its first matchup against New Jersey's Ramapo college, sweeping the series three games to zero.

Harvard took on Vassar in the following series. Winning the first and third games of the five game set, the Crimson seemed to be feeding off of the momentum gained from the first matchup.

Its steam ran out, however. The host team managed to win the fourth and fifth games to overpower the Crimson three games to two.

In the third match of pool play, an under-estimated New Paltz University, a state university of New York, stunned the weakened Harvardians three games to zero. Eliminated from further tournament play, the Crimson were sent back to Cambridge with dampened spirits.

"The loss was extremely disappointing," sophomore outside hitter David Cho said. "In fact, it was almost too disappointing to express in words."

Cho said that a quick disappointment, however, is not anomalous. "We seem to always lose to a team [this time of year] that we have no right to lose to," he said.

The Crimson's poor performance, in the minds of some, could be attributed to a lack of team cohesion.

"Team chemistry is the reason that we played poorly. Because of Harvard's final exam schedules, all other teams have practiced for two weeks longer than us. Since we are two weeks behind, we haven't had the opportunity to gel as a unit--the lack of motivation really showed," Cho explained.

The Crimson now look forward to season play--an opportunity to demonstrate its real ability. Bolstered by a strong class of freshmen talent, the team has incredible depth.

In spite of their wealth of talent, the going certainly won't be a walk in the park. The volleyballers face a difficult schedule which includes formidable opponents such as Princeton and Rutgers Newark, th premier threat of the season.

It sounds tough, but the Crimson realize the possibilities for the new season.

"We played poorly in the [Vassar] tournament--but in the real season, anything can happen," Cho said.