Crimson Still Winless in Ivies

The weekend began with the Harvard women’s volleyball team looking to get in the win column against its first Ivy League opponent not named Dartmouth.

But after suffering two losses to the Big Green earlier in the season, the Crimson (3-11, 0-4 Ivy) awoke Sunday morning with two more conference losses under its belt, as it dropped road matches against Penn and Princeton by scores of 3-1 and 3-0, respectively.

Even with a slow Ivy start, optimism is the mood in Cambridge.

“We want to win a lot more games this season, and we think that’s actually possible,” co-captain Elizabeth Blotky said.

PRINCETON 3, HARVARD 0

Although the Tigers were challenged fiercely in two of three games, Princeton proved the more experienced team in the clutch as it knocked off Harvard 3-0 (33-31, 30-25, 32-30) on Saturday night at the Dillon Gymnasium in Princeton, N.J.

The Crimson actually had three game points, two in the first game and another in the third, but couldn’t put either frame away thanks to a steady Tiger performance in game one and a strong Princeton rally in the third frame.

“It was really tight all throughout, especially during the first and third games,” Blotky said.

The Crimson was down 27-22 and fended off two game points at 29-27 in game one, but it was unable to capitalize on its own game points at scores of 30-29 and 31-30. Princeton (10-3, 2-1) ended the frame with three points to take a 1-0 lead in the match.

After a second game in which the Tigers controlled most of the way, Harvard jumped out to an early lead of 14-4 in the third frame. But the Tigers battled back to a 19-19 tie, setting the stage for a tense finish.

Ties at 26, 28, 29 and 30 points kept it close before two straight Princeton points clinched the match.

Sophomore outside hitter Laura Mahon led the Crimson with 18 kills on .350 hitting while notching 10 digs on defense.

PENN 3, HARVARD 1

After winning the second game to tie the match, Harvard fell by just two points in the third game before the Quakers put the match away in the fourth, winning 3-1 (30-20, 18-30, 30-28, 30-19) Friday night at The Palestra in Philadelphia, Pa.

It was the second loss in a row for the Crimson, but the match did provide insight into what the team needs to work on if it wants to be successful for the remainder of the season.

“We played well and together as a team, but where we have trouble is in pressure situations, mainly in keeping our composure and confidence,” Blotky said.

After a fairly uneventful 30-20 first game loss, Harvard recorded its lone win of the weekend in the second frame.

On the strength of middle hitter Katie Turley-Molony’s team-high 14 kills, the Crimson dominated Penn (6-7, 3-0). Harvard registered just a single attack error the entire game, hitting .361 while the Quakers hit at only a .098 rate.

Penn bounced back from a sluggish second frame, taking a 12-8 lead and forcing a Harvard timeout. Although the Crimson rallied to within a point at 29-28, the Quakers posted a kill to clinch the third game.

Penn has yet to lose a match against an Ivy League opponent this season, but Harvard likes its chances against the Quakers in a rematch later this month in Cambridge.

“We’re the better volleyball team, but what it comes down to is experience,” Blotky said. “We need to learn how to handle the pressure.”