ATHLETE of the WEEK

It is difficult to convey the dissage that a block in volleyball carries.

One team puts forth its best effort, sequencing a bump, a set and a spike together--and the other team throws it all back in its face. It's not just a defeat; it's a humiliation.

That's why sophomore Elissa Hart was such a force at Saturday's Harvard volleyball win over Cornell. Whenever she rotated in the front row, one could almost see a collective sigh on the Big Red side, for everyone knew that she and co-captain Jen Jose would dominate the net for three rotations.

Hart and Jose teamed up for six blocks on the day, all of which seemed to come in the latter stages of the five-game win. Each of these blocks demoralized Cornell and fired up Harvard all the more, pushing the Crimson to a comeback from a 9-5 deficit in game five.

These all added to the psychological mystique that Hart brought on to the court when she rotated in. Volleyball is a game of momentum, and Hart gave it to Harvard.