M. Volleyball Dismantles Engineers, 3-1

CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--Another year, another chapter in the storied Red Line Rivalry. And for the men's volleyball team, it was business as usual.

Yesterday, the Crimson (1-0, 0-0 Hay) began its 2001 season by dominating the MIT Engineers (1-6, 1-4 Odeneal) en route to a 3-1 (30-16, 30-20, 20-30, 30-25) win.

"Generally, I was very pleased with our performance against MIT," said Harvard Coach Tom Wilson. "It was nice to win in four sets, as opposed to playing a fifth set like we've done in previous years."

The match, which was played in MIT's well-worn and poorly lit DuPont Gymnasium, was Harvard's first experience with the new rules approved by the NCAA for this volleyball season. The most noticeable change is the scoring format, which changed from 15-point games with points only coming off service to 30-point games with rally-point scoring.

"The new scoring system certainly gives a sense of urgency," said sophomore setter Mike Bookman. "Every time the ball is in play, points are at stake. And given the fact that volleyball is very much momentum driven, it's very difficult to make a comeback if you get down early."

Being down early was not a problem for Harvard, as the Crimson shot out to a 7-3 start in the first game on the strength of two kills from sophomore middle blocker Alex Kowell and another pair from senior outside hitter Brian Stevenson.

"I was particularly happy with Alex Kowell's play (who ended the day with 4 blocks and 9 kills for a .692 hitting percentage) and Brian Stevenson's performance (17 digs and 18 kills for .421)," Wilson said.

Harvard made quick work of the first game, ending with a 10-2 run to retire the Engineers, 30-17.

In the second game, the Crimson once again jumped out to a fast 7-3 lead fueled by the scintillating play of freshman middle blocker Juan Carlos Cardet. The 6'5 Puerto Rican native, who inherits both his jersey number (11) and position from former team captain Ed Pankau '00, was impressive at middle blocker by contributing three blocks and eight kills with a solid .385 hit percentage.

"[Cardet] has already proven that he is worthy of a starting position on our team," said junior co-captain Justin Denham. "His block is incredibly imposing, his attacks are devastating both in their placement as well as their power and his court awareness is impressive for a freshman."

In addition to Cardet and Kowell in the middle, the Crimson received stellar play from its outside players. Stevenson's 18 kills complemented his improbable 17 digs. Denham chipped in with a team-high 25 kills and co-captain Justin Micomonaco notched three kills and nine digs on the afternoon.

"The middles hit with impunity especially in transition during the first game," Micomonaco said. "This opened up the outsides to swing, especially Brian who had a stellar game all around."

Although Harvard closed out the second game in relatively easy fashion, the Crimson lost its composure in the third stanza. MIT sophomore Kai McDonald sparked the Engineers to a third game resurgence that put Harvard down 29-20 late in the game.

And that was when things got weird.

After attempting to pursue an errand ball on the opponent's side of the net as per the new "international pursuit rule" approved by the NCAA this year, Bookman had a verbal altercation with MIT outside hitter Dan Roy. After Roy and Bookman had exchanged pleasantries, the officials appeared confused as to how to handle the encounter.

The referees conferred and awarded both players yellow cards. According to an existing rule, a yellow card results in a point for the opposing team. MIT was then awarded game point and the third game abruptly came to end.

Reaction from the largely Harvard crowd was mostly confusion and some irritation. The alumni section, which was comprised of Mike Meyer '94, Evan Mager '99 and last year's crowd favorite Joe Herger '00, weighed in with its general assessment of the melee.

"It was the dumbest thing I've ever seen," Meyer said.

After Bookman's yellow card prematurely ended the third game, Harvard was awarded a point for Roy's yellow card, which was assessed to begin the fourth game. The Crimson shook off the odd turn of events and went on an offensive roll. Harvard won the fourth and final game, 30-26, with a Kowell block acting as an exclamation point for the match.

"The important lesson from the third game was that even if we were not going to come back and win, getting some momentum back was crucial to carrying the fourth game," said Bookman, who finished with 56 assists.

Harvard now turns its attention to preparing for its league schedule. The Crimson, which was Odeneal Divisional winners last year, has moved into the tougher Hay division and will face old rivals Springfield and Queens later in the season. League games begin next week after a final tune-up game against Rivier College tomorrow.