Hawks Down M. Volleyball

In lecture for a Harvard history course yesterday morning, Plummer Professor of Christian Morals Peter J. Gomes mentioned that Roger Williams was instrumental in making the colony of Rhode Island a “cesspool of discontent.”

Last night at the Malkin Athletic Center, the Harvard men’s volleyball team was the school left wallowing in a cesspool of discontent as the Roger Williams Hawks overpowered an injury-plagued Crimson squad, 3-1 (30-22, 30-28, 29-31, 30-26).

“[Roger Williams] just outplayed us in every facet of the game,” said Harvard Coach Tom Wilson. “We just played poorly against a good team.”

Harvard (2-2, 1-1 EIVA Hay), playing only its second home game of the young season, had to rely on its bench as both starting middle blocker and co-captain Justin Denham and starting outside hitter freshman Will Reppun were unavailable due to injuries. Denham is out with a sore back and Reppun missed the game with a bum ankle.

In their place, the Crimson was forced to play four freshmen, three of whom were playing positions different than usual. Freshmen Doug Mulliken and Ryland Degnan saw their first substantial playing time of the season at middle blocker and libero, respectively.

“The injuries may be a blessing in disguise, because these freshmen are receiving a baptism by fire to the world of college volleyball,” said junior co-captain Mike Bookman.

The new starters and shaken-up rotation proved detrimental to the Crimson’s early efforts in each of its four games during the match.

In the first game, Harvard spotted the Hawks a quick 10-4 lead that it was ultimately unable to overcome. A 9-4 Hawks lead in the second game was enough to prevent the Crimson from evening the match despite a late rally.

Down two games in the match and 18-9 in the third game, the Crimson was in danger of being swept for the second time in four days. However, the resolve of junior middle blocker Alex Kowell and the collective will of the beleaguered team shone through the adversity.

A block by Kowell and an ace by sophomore opposite Russ Mosier ignited the Crimson and propelled it to cut the lead by six as the score stood at 28-25 in the Hawks’ favor.

Harvard then called a timeout to discuss its strategy. The only factor that would matter, however, was the elevated and emotional play of Kowell.

Two thunderous kills, a service ace, and a saving dig later, Kowell had boosted Harvard to its first lead of the game at 30-29. A service error by Hawks outside hitter Jacob Blair sealed the improbable comeback for the Crimson and provided a moral victory.

Kowell’s electric performance impressed the Harvard crowd, including a former teammate of the 6’6 native of Pacific Palisades, Calif.

“I don’t know if I have ever seen an individual performance like that before,” joked former outside hitter junior Will Prichard.

Despite the reinvigorating surge provided by Kowell, Harvard again came out flat to begin the fourth game, quickly falling into a 7-1 hole.

“Even when we were winning and playing as a team, I think we were still somewhat complacent about the game,” Kowell said. “The next two days in practice we need to definitely work on our focus.”

The Hawks capitalized on the Crimson’s lackadaisical play to finally put away Harvard with a 30-26 decision. However, Roger Williams’ ultimate victory came at a cost.

In the final game, some powerful Kowell kills hit Hawks’ players squarely in the face, chest, and crotch.

The Crimson will now turn its attention towards this weekend when it will take on EIVA and Ivy foe Princeton. The Tigers are the only other Ivy team with a Division I volleyball program and close matches between the two schools have fueled quite a rivalry in recent years.

The return of Denham and Reppun to the starting line-up will be important for Harvard.

“Having [Denham] and Reppun back will provide an intangible boost for the team,” Bookman said. “With our starting rotation back, we’ll be much more comfortable and we’ll finally have our bearings back.”