Heartbreaker Leads to Weekend Split

History has a way of repeating itself.

In its last three matches against Cornell, Harvard (7-11, 3-3 Ivy) lost the fifth game each time to drop the contest. In the previous two meetings with Columbia, it was the Lions who left the game empty-handed in a 3-0 shutout.

This weekend saw repeats of both motifs at the Malkin Athletic Center.

In its five-game nailbiter against Cornell (6-9, 5-1), the Crimson battled back from several large deficits, including a 14-8 hole in the fifth game. Although Harvard pushed the fifth beyond the minimum of 15 points, the Big Red held onto its lead to win the game and end the match, 25-19, 20-25, 25-18, 19-25, 16-14.

Energized by the previous night’s loss, the Crimson came out strong against Columbia (5-10, 0-6). Maintaining the high level of play from the night before, Harvard deftly swept the Lions in three games, 25-21, 25-15, 25-21.

HARVARD 3, COLUMBIA 0

There would be no heartbreaker in the second match—not for Harvard, at least. Utilizing offensive plays from a variety of players, the Crimson swept the Lions, 3-0.

The first set began with back-and-forth action. Down 9-12, freshman Sandra Lynn Fryhoffer nailed a kill to kick off a 5-0 run that put the Crimson back on top. Despite several ensuing errors, Harvard maintained the lead to take the first game.

The Crimson leapt out to a 5-0 lead in the second to set the tone for the match. The Lions could not hold back Harvard’s offensive barrage, which featured three aces—two from freshman Christine Wu—and a .483 attack percentage. The Crimson posted eight aces and hit .305 for the game.

Although Columbia pulled to within three at 5-2, Harvard’s lead increased to as much as 10 by the game’s end.

With the score at 13-11 in the third, Durwood tossed up a perfect set for sophomore Mikaelle Comrie, who drilled the ball down, knocking over a Columbia player.

“She’s never afraid to hit big,” junior co-captain Kat Kocurek said.

Comrie racked up seven kills, bringing her weekend total to 18.

After going down 19-14 in the third frame, Columbia rallied to within a point, 21-20, forcing a Crimson timeout.

Recovering quickly, Harvard used a junior co-captain Lily Durwood-senior Kathryn McKinley set-kill combination to quell the Lions’ surge. From there, three Columbia errors allowed the Crimson to cruise to the 3-0 shutout.

CORNELL 3, HARVARD 2

Amidst a lively crowd with both team affiliations well-represented, Harvard duked it out with Cornell on Friday in a marathon game that culminated in a 3-2 Big Red win.

“That’s what we define as heartbreaker,” Kocurek said.

The teams jostled for the lead throughout the match, constantly exchanging plays and games. Although Harvard could not build an offensive rhythm in the first stanza, it had little trouble slipping into its usual role of battling from behind from there on.

“It’s becoming a trend actually,” McKinley said. “We like it when we need [it], but it’s one we definitely don’t want to have to use it all the time. We like to make it a little challenging on ourselves—we have nothing to lose.”

McKinley was one of many players that made the comeback possible, contributing 17 kills and seven digs. In addition to another 16 kills, freshman Anne Carroll Ingersoll was a defensive strategist—the rookie posted nine of the Harvard’s 15 blocks.

McKinley also credited Durwood—and her 53 assists—as an essential element of the team’s offense.

“You can’t run a hitting or any sort of offense without a set and without a pass to get it to the setter,” McKinley said. “We call [Durwood’s setting] serving up meatballs. It was perfect, and the hitter has no challenge.”

The pinnacle of excitement came in the fifth. After tying five times, the Big Red pulled away to within one point of winning the game, 14-8, but the Crimson initiated another comeback with a 6-0 run.

Awakening from its stupor, Cornell cut the Crimson’s final streak short with a kill. On the next serve, McKinley attempted to tie the game once again, but was denied by a game-ending block.

—Staff writer Emmett Kistler can be reached at ekistler@fas.harvard.edu.