SEASON RECAP: League Dominance Fades With Departure of Class of ’05

Every team has its highs and lows. For the Harvard women’s volleyball team, last year’s peak of winning its first-ever Ivy title was followed by a major valley in 2006: a winless league season.

After graduating three members of the Class of 2005—including one of the Crimson’s all-time great hitters, Kaego Ogbechie—a young Harvard squad boasting just one senior displayed a lot of potential but struggled due to inexperience.

Although the Crimson kicked off its season by capturing the New England Challenge title, Harvard won only one more match the rest of the season to finish with a 3-21 record—a far cry from last year’s 15-victory showing.

“When we first started losing a couple of matches, it was tough for everyone,” said rising junior outside hitter and incoming co-captain Laura Mahon. “We were too forward-looking. We were worried about getting another Ivy League title, which can have negative effects on the level of play.”

The Crimson started its league slate with two three-frame losses to travel partner Dartmouth, a team that Harvard had handled with little trouble in 2004.

After recovering to sweep non-league opponent Sacred Heart and breaking its seven-match losing streak, the Crimson entered the most grueling part of its league schedule: four matches on the road against Penn, Princeton, Yale, and Brown.

Harvard managed to win only two games in a span of fourteen and suddenly stood at 0-6 in the league tables.

“We never lost hope or got our heads down,” said junior co-captain Sarah Cebron. “But starting off stronger would have built more confidence.”

The Crimson returned home to take on perennial bottom-feeder Columbia—perhaps its best opportunity of the season to pick up a league victory.

Harvard stormed out of the gates, winning games one and two. But Columbia recovered to win in five games, shocking the Crimson.

“When it came down to the line, we didn’t play well,” Mahon said. “We weren’t there mentally.”

The rest of Harvard’s season followed a similar pattern: the Crimson was dominated by most of its opponents and dropped another close five-game thriller to the Lions.

On the bright side, Harvard’s younger players performed well and showed flashes of talent. Rookies Kathryn McKinley and Laura Mays started regularly and proved their ability to compete at the collegiate level.

In the fall of 2006, with experienced junior and sophomore classes and the addition of a few key recruits—including a solid libero and a promising setter—the Crimson is poised to reestablish itself as a force to be reckoned with in the Ivy League.

“We’re going to hope that we can win one match at a time,” Mahon said. “I sincerely believe that we can come back and make an impact on the league.”

—Staff writer Karan Lodha can be reached at klodha@fas.harvard.edu.