M. Volleyball Continues To Struggle With Consistency

Inconsistency continues to hurt the Harvard men’s volleyball, who split its two games at the Malkin Athletic Center this weekend. The split came on the heels of an loss at Springfield last Thursday.

“The problem, as it has been all season, is consistency,” junior co-captain Mike Bookman said. “We can stay with a team for a while and play them point-for-point but we often make mistakes on plays we shouldn’t.”

Coach Tom Wilson agreed.

“It was the same old story,” he said.

Vassar 3, Harvard 1

Unfortunately for Crimson seniors Isaac Chen and co-captain Justin Denham, yesterday’s loss came in their last career home match at the MAC. The Crimson was defeated after four games against the Vassar Brewers (30-22, 28-30, 35-33, 30-26).

While the result wasn’t what Denham and Chen hoped for on Senior Day, they said it was a competition that they won’t forget.

“It hurts to lose,” Denham said. “But it was memorable.”

The disappointment is perhaps harder to bear because of Crimson’s streaky play.

“They [Vassar] were just more consistent than we were,” Wilson said. “There were stretches when we were playing sensational and then we’d hit four balls in a row out of bounds.”

From the start of yesterday’s match, every point was a battle. Two solo blocks—first from freshman outside hitter Will Reppun, who was back in full swing after an ankle injury, and then from Bookman—increased the team’s energy and lead early in the game.

But after letting a 5-4 advantage slip away, the Crimson (5-8, 3-6 EIVA Hay) would never regain the lead. Instead of building upon the momentum of a good play, Harvard frequently allowed unforced effors to take over the game.

Behind the aggressive serving of Denham, Harvard picked up a couple points late in the game and a Denham back-row kill brought the Crimson within three points of the Brewers.

But two net violations and an unforced hitting error ended the game earlier than the Crimson hoped, 30-22.

The team’s unforced errors returned like a nagging injury at the start of the second game. Five hitting errors in a row allowed Vassar to take a 9-3 lead.

But the Crimson set aside its frustration and fought its way back into contention.

“It looked like we were going to fall apart,” Chen said, “but we screwed our heads on and kept on playing.”

Again it was Denham who used his serving to lift the team within four points of the Brewers, 20-16. Reppun and sophomore outside hitter Russ Mosier executed kills to narrow the gap even further. Serving four consecutive points, Reppun directed the Crimson to a one-point edge.

But Harvard struggled to put Vassar away, as the Brewers rallied back to tie the game on several occasions. Freshman Juan Ramos—who totaled 16 digs—contributed to Harvard’s defensive effort, digging balls with one hand and keeping rallies alive.

A sideout kill by Denham, who led the team with 19 kills, and Mosier, who finished with 12, sealed a two-point Harvard victory.

The third game was yet another struggle for each and every point. A Reppun block and Denham kill helped the team jump to a 5-0 lead but a few more unforced errors—along with the aggressive play of the Brewers—allowed Vassar to make up for lost ground.

Four kills by Brewers’ outside hitter Mike Gevertz and a sideout kill from Paul Kessenich brought what was a four-point deficit to a 22-22 tie.

The attack of Denham, complemented by a kill and block from junior middle blocker Alex Kowell, gave Harvard the lead at 30-29, setting the Crimson in position to take the game.

But Harvard was unable to capitalize on either this opportunity, or a later 34-33 advantage. The reason was once again unforced errors.

“We were just an inch away from a stuff, or from a dig or from a kill,” Bookman said. “But that inch made all the difference.”

In the fourth game the Crimson quickly grabbed the lead, but was once again tied up at 14-14 and again at 21-21. Kowell buried a forceful kill to push Harvard ahead by one, but the Brewers struck back and used an ace and key block to pull away at 27-24.

Another late-game Denham kill—as well as acrobatic digs picked up by Ramos—showed that it wasn’t heart that the Crimson was missing.

But earlier errors ultimately provedtoo much to overcome as a tip kill by Gevertz closed out the match forVassar.

Harvard 3, Southampton 0

Harvard showcased a glimpse of its potential Saturday in a 3-0 defeat of the Southampton Colonials (30-28, 30-26, 30-26).

While the Crimson play wasn’t flawless—the team collected 26 hitting errors—Harvard made key improvements in its blocking and serving.

“Technically this was our best blocking match,” Wilson said. “We worked hard at making good reads and putting up tight, penetrating blocks.”

The Crimson opened the match with more unforced hitting errors, allowing Southampton to take an 8-4 lead and forcing Wilson to take an early timeout.

Even after the timeout, the Colonials were able to maintain their lead as the Crimson struggled to settle down.

But a sideout kill by Kowell, who led the team with 12 kills, indicated that he felt right at home. Providing the first spark for the Crimson, Kowell followed up his kill with aggressive serving, turning a two-point deficit into a 15-13 lead.

Kowell’s offensive effort was only matched by Mosier, who also put down 12 kills. Mosier provided the Crimson with an extra burst of energy as he hit three uncontested sideout kills, maintaining Harvard’s lead at 20-18.

Kowell surged back late in the game with two dominating blocks, which he followed up with two kills. In the end, though, it was Mosier who closed out the game with a kill at the end of a hard-fought rally.

The second game began with another slow start for the Crimson as the Colonials pulled out to a quick 12-5 lead. But the Crimson did not give in.

“We did a much better job at executing on Saturday, and when Southampton managed to make a run on us we kept our heads up and put ourselves right back into the game,” Mosier said.

Kowell, Mosier and Denham added kills that gradually cut Southampton’s lead. Reppun’s serving, which included an ace, brought the Crimson within one.

Yet again it was Denham who led the final charge by terminating two sideout kills, serving seven consecutive points and bringing Harvard out to a 27-23 lead. Denham’s feat was not accomplished alone, as Kowell added two blocks and a kill to the comeback surge.

“I think that our serving and blocking are somewhat related because the consistent tough serves made blocking easier,” said Kowell. “If we can keep that kind of pressure up we’re capable of contending with most teams out there.”

Kowell was certainly able to contend with the Colonials as he ended the game with a kill.

The Crimson’s aggressive and consistent serving proved powerful again in the third game. Early on, each point was fiercely contested, but it was Denham’s seven consecutive service points that converted a Harvard two-point deficit into a 27-23 lead.

This time it was freshman outside hitter Abe Marouf who sealed Harvard’s victory with a kill.

Adding to a solid defensive effort, Ramos picked up 18 digs and Reppun contributed 13. Bookman also added six digs to go along with his 47 assists.

Springfield 3, Harvard 0

The Springfield Pride entered Thursday night’s match against the Crimson fueled by a seven-game winning streak. After losing three straight games, Harvard became victim number eight (30-27, 30-28, 30-22).

The Pride offense was directed by setter Tucker Short, who registered 37 assists. Outside hitter Greg Lardo controlled the Pride’s aggressive attack by putting down 17 kills, while sophomore Chris Hosely added eight.

Wilson described the Pride’s play as consistent, but said the game was never out of Harvard’s reach.

“What it boils down to is that invariably they converted one more play than we did,” Wilson said.

While the Crimson played a solid second game, timely digs and a crucial sideout kill by Springfield sealed the Pride victory.

Bookman posted 31 assists and Marouf led the team with 11 kills on offense.

The Crimson hopes to sustain the positive aspects of this weekend’s play when it faces MIT in a non-divisional contest on Wednesday.