W. Volleyball Starts Ivy Run on Right Foot

The Harvard women's volleyball team might have turned its season around in the nick of time this past weekend as Harvard defeated Columbia and Cornell on the road. HARVARD  3 CORNELL  1 HARVARD  3 COLUMBIA  0

On Friday, Harvard (5-12, 2-0 Ivy) fought to overcome a one-game deficit to beat Cornell (5-10, 0-2 Ivy) 3-1 on the Big Red's home court.

The next day, the Crimson traveled to New York City to take on the Columbia Lions (5-9, 0-2 Ivy), where Harvard won handily in three games.

"We can't let things happen to us," co-captain Kate Nash said. "We are the ones who have to initiate things. We finally turned things around and got hungry."

The weekend also saw co-captain Melissa Forcum pass a milestone.

The outside hitter tallied her 1,000th kill in the Columbia match and finished the weekend with 1,003, also earning Ivy League Player of the Week honors.

"I didn't even realize until today, when [Coach Jennifer Weiss] told me," Forcum said. "I guess it is a fairly big accomplishment, but winning the two games this weekend was more important to me."

Elissa Hart '97 was the last Crimson volleyball player to surpass the 1,000-kill mark. She ended her career with 1,348.

Harvard 3, Cornell 1

In the more exciting of the two weekend matches, Cornell started off strong, taking the first game 15-8.

"We had a little bit of a rocky start," Nash said. "We came out a little bit flat."

In that game, the Crimson managed a paltry .111 hitting percentage while the Big Red hit at an astounding .625 clip, tallying 22 kills.

The second game started out with more of the same, with Harvard falling behind 12-4.

"It was kind of a reality check," Nash said.

On a point that would prove to be the turnaround for Harvard, Forcum saved the team from falling behind even more.

"Someone just shanked a dig and Angela Lutich hustled her butt to get the ball up," Forcum said.

Forcum scampered to pass the ball deep into the Cornell court, hitting it sky-high and barely missing the scoreboard in the process.

"I hate it when it falls short and I wanted it to go over the net," Forcum said. "It was pretty funny."

That lighthearted moment loosened Harvard up, so much so that the team started to come back.

"We were all laughing and it kind of turned us around," Nash said. "There was so much heart in that point."

The Crimson used that momentum shift to its advantage, winning the game 16-14.

The third game ended with a 15-13 decision in Harvard's favor, and Harvard finished the match off in the fourth game, 15-5.

Forcum led the offense with 23 kills. Freshman Erin Denniston and sophomore Angela Lutich contributed 14 and 11 kills, respectively.

Nash finished with 52 set assists and junior Kristen Schaeffer had two aces.

Harvard 3, Columbia 0

At Columbia, the entire Crimson team saw action against the Lions as Harvard allowed just six points on the match, a 15-0, 15-4, 15-2 win.

"The Columbia game was so much fun," Nash said. "Everyone played. It was real confidence booster to crush an Ivy League team."

Columbia was handicapped because of injuries and was only able to play seven players.

"We were really confident," Forcum said. "We were definitely the most confident we have been all season."

The Crimson hopes the confidence will translate into continued success, especially with the coming week's schedule.

On Wednesday, the Crimson will travel to B.C., which beat Harvard 3-1 earlier this season.

"We're fired up," Forcum said. "We want to get back at them."

Harvard takes on Princeton and Pennsylvania this weekend as it looks to maintain its perfect Ivy League record.

On Friday, Harvard (5-12, 2-0 Ivy) fought to overcome a one-game deficit to beat Cornell (5-10, 0-2 Ivy) 3-1 on the Big Red's home court.

The next day, the Crimson traveled to New York City to take on the Columbia Lions (5-9, 0-2 Ivy), where Harvard won handily in three games.

"We can't let things happen to us," co-captain Kate Nash said. "We are the ones who have to initiate things. We finally turned things around and got hungry."

The weekend also saw co-captain Melissa Forcum pass a milestone.

The outside hitter tallied her 1,000th kill in the Columbia match and finished the weekend with 1,003, also earning Ivy League Player of the Week honors.

"I didn't even realize until today, when [Coach Jennifer Weiss] told me," Forcum said. "I guess it is a fairly big accomplishment, but winning the two games this weekend was more important to me."

Elissa Hart '97 was the last Crimson volleyball player to surpass the 1,000-kill mark. She ended her career with 1,348.

Harvard 3, Cornell 1

In the more exciting of the two weekend matches, Cornell started off strong, taking the first game 15-8.

"We had a little bit of a rocky start," Nash said. "We came out a little bit flat."

In that game, the Crimson managed a paltry .111 hitting percentage while the Big Red hit at an astounding .625 clip, tallying 22 kills.

The second game started out with more of the same, with Harvard falling behind 12-4.

"It was kind of a reality check," Nash said.

On a point that would prove to be the turnaround for Harvard, Forcum saved the team from falling behind even more.

"Someone just shanked a dig and Angela Lutich hustled her butt to get the ball up," Forcum said.

Forcum scampered to pass the ball deep into the Cornell court, hitting it sky-high and barely missing the scoreboard in the process.

"I hate it when it falls short and I wanted it to go over the net," Forcum said. "It was pretty funny."

That lighthearted moment loosened Harvard up, so much so that the team started to come back.

"We were all laughing and it kind of turned us around," Nash said. "There was so much heart in that point."

The Crimson used that momentum shift to its advantage, winning the game 16-14.

The third game ended with a 15-13 decision in Harvard's favor, and Harvard finished the match off in the fourth game, 15-5.

Forcum led the offense with 23 kills. Freshman Erin Denniston and sophomore Angela Lutich contributed 14 and 11 kills, respectively.

Nash finished with 52 set assists and junior Kristen Schaeffer had two aces.

Harvard 3, Columbia 0

At Columbia, the entire Crimson team saw action against the Lions as Harvard allowed just six points on the match, a 15-0, 15-4, 15-2 win.

"The Columbia game was so much fun," Nash said. "Everyone played. It was real confidence booster to crush an Ivy League team."

Columbia was handicapped because of injuries and was only able to play seven players.

"We were really confident," Forcum said. "We were definitely the most confident we have been all season."

The Crimson hopes the confidence will translate into continued success, especially with the coming week's schedule.

On Wednesday, the Crimson will travel to B.C., which beat Harvard 3-1 earlier this season.

"We're fired up," Forcum said. "We want to get back at them."

Harvard takes on Princeton and Pennsylvania this weekend as it looks to maintain its perfect Ivy League record.