W. Volleyball Drops Two to End Ivy Season

This was not the way the Crimson wanted to end its Ivy League regular season.

The Harvard women's volleyball team lost its last two matches of Ivy League play, dropping Saturday's match at Brown, 3-1, (15-5, 15-12, 7-15, 15-7), and Friday's match at Yale, 3-0, (15-11, 15-11 and 15-12).

Winning one game over the entire weekend, Harvard (11-12, 2-5 Ivy League) must now enter the Ivy League tournament, which it will host, with league wins only against Columbia and Dartmouth. Its 2-5 Ivy record gives it the last seed in the upcoming Ivy tournament.

"It's disappointing", freshman middle hitter Mariah Pospisil said. "We hoped to have two more wins going into the tournament."

Brown 3, Harvard 1

Brown handled the Crimson from the beginning of the match, jumping out to a 2-0 lead before Harvard could gather itself.

The Bears were in control for most of the match, taking a 7-3 lead in the first game and never looking back. The Crimson tried to come back, but Brown ended the game with a 7-0 run and went up 1-0.

The second game was closely fought, but the outcome was the same. Both teams fought to an 8-8 tie, then to 12-12, but Brown took the final three points and took the game 15- 12 for a 2-0 lead.

Harvard appeared to show signs of life in the third game, running off eight straight points after a 6-6 tie to lead 14-6. The Crimson finished the game off and won 15-7 to cut the Brown match lead to 2-1.

However, Brown would not let victory escape from its grasp and seized a 5-1 lead in the fourth game. The Crimson fought to 5-4, but Brown ran away with it in a 10-3 run and won the match, 3-1.

Brown's win came as a result of excellent efforts from freshman Diane Schneider, who tallied 15 kills and only two errors and freshman Leslie Meller, who recorded 45 assists and nine digs.

The Crimson received good efforts from co-captain Katherine Hart and sophomore setter Mindy Jellin. Hart recorded 12 kills and nine digs while Jellin had 34 assists and 13 digs.

The loss ended Harvard's Ivy season and gave it the last seed for the tournament. The Crimson and the Bears both finished with a 2-5 Ivy record, but since Brown won the head- to- head match-up, the last seed goes to Harvard.

"We know we are a good team and are capable of playing a lot better", Pospisil said. "It is time to prove ourselves."

Yale 3, Harvard 0

The Crimson needed a win at Yale to start the weekend and move up in the Ivy standings. However, the Bulldogs had a different idea.

Even though the three games were closely fought, Yale took the match in straight games, winning 15-11, 15-11, and 15-12.

Neither team went on significant runs, but Yale always managed to win the key points that decided the match.

Led by captain Stephanie McMahon, who recorded 13 kills and 14 digs, the Bulldogs kept Harvard at bay throughout the match and employed tough defense to deliver the loss.

Also on the defensive front for the Bulldogs were sophomores Dana Loeberg and Joey Lee, and junior Vanessa Herald. Loeberg recorded 13 digs, Lee had 11 digs, and Herald had 10 digs.

For the Crimson, Jellin, Hart, and Pospisil put forth strong efforts. Jellin produced 28 assists, Hart recorded nine blocks and 11 digs and Pospisil had six kills. Freshman Liz Cebron anchored the defense, recording a match-high 15 digs.

The Crimson as a team recorded 31 kills, but suffered 27 errors for a hitting percentage of .029. Yale had 46 kills and 32 errors, for a hitting percentage of .093.

"We need to work on our consistency," Pospisil said. "When everyone is communicating and playing hard, we are a tough team to beat."

The remainder of the Crimson's season will be played at home.

Harvard's next matches will be at the MAC against non-conference opponents to prepare for the Ivy League tournament. This Tuesday it will face Holy Cross, before meeting Sacred Heart and Marist over the weekend.

Harvard will then host the annual Ivy League tournament Nov. 10 and 11.