Seniors, M. Volleyball Continue To Roll

Playing in the last home game of their Harvard careers, the seniors on the men’s volleyball team made sure that they ended their home slate with a bang. In a Saturday afternoon matchup against East Stroudsburg (ESU) at the Malkin Athletic Center, the Crimson rolled to a 3-1 victory and extended its winning streak to 12 games.

Both teams demonstrated their offensive skills in a match full of diving digs, resounding kills, and pumping adrenaline. Led by junior middle hitter Seamus McKiernan’s 21 kills and eight blocks, Harvard (12-3, 8-1 Sweeney) survived a shaky second game to snatch a 30-25, 16-30, 30-28, 30-26 victory.

In honor of Senior Day, the Crimson started a lineup composed entirely of players from the Class of 2005. This included the addition of senior outside hitter Ryland Degnan, who seldom gets an opportunity to start.

“Me, Dave, Will, and Ryland, we’ve been together for four years,” captain Juan Ramos said. “We’ve gone through a lot, in terms of the program going from being nothing to now being a serious program.”

The fourth and final game of the match proved to be anything but easy, as the Warriors (5-6, 4-3 Hay) battled in an attempt to force a decisive fifth frame. In a close, emotional game, McKiernan led the team effort with six kills and two blocks.

With Harvard behind 9-6, freshman setter Jordan Weitzen dove for an outstanding dig, preventing the ball from touching the ground with only his fingertips. Although the Crimson lost that point after a long volley, Weitzen’s effort seemed to inspire Harvard, as it battled back to tie the frame at 10.

The two teams exchanged points for the rest of the game, as tempers flared over controversial calls. But a mini-run by the Crimson, capped off by a booming kill by Ramos, sealed the victory for Harvard by a 30-26 margin in the fourth game.

“This was a huge win—really important for the seniors,” said junior middle hitter John Freese. “We’re such a small, close team that it’s important for all of us that everyone goes out on a high note.”

Although the Crimson started the match a little slowly, falling behind 6-1 in the first game, the team quickly regained its footing and slowly gained ground until it tied the score at 15. From this point on, the teams exchanged points until a strong kill and a block by Freese gave Harvard a 26-23 lead.

ESU, feeling its chances slip away, tried to regain its composure with a timeout. The break did little good, however, as the Crimson continued to dominate, winning the game by a 30-25 score.

After a victory in the first game, it seemed that Harvard would ride the wave of its success to another easy victory. The Warriors, however, had other ideas, as they stormed into the second game with renewed vigor.

ESU quickly grabbed a 17-7 lead, punctuated by several kills and an ace by freshman middle hitter Jon Daley. Although the Crimson attempted to repair the damage, they never seemed to get back on track, losing the game 30-16.

“I think we rode off the emotion, we expected things to happen,” Ramos said. “The crowd was really close, the bleachers were closer than they’d ever been before, so I guess we all thought that the emotions would carry us through. We forgot that we’d really have to play volleyball to win this match.”

Harvard seemed to find ways to correct its mistakes in the third frame. Though neither team was able to establish a significant lead, the Crimson remained in control for most of the game.

Harvard was able to hold off the ferocious Warrior attack to win the third game, 30-28.

“This team was a bigger team, so naturally they’re going to have guys that can bang the ball a lot harder,” Freese said. “It was good for us to finally play against another team that’s tall and can hit the ball well.”