Tough Opening Day Sets Tone for Trying Weekend in Tampa

The first day of the Tampa-based Best Western Invitational proved to be a challenging one for the women’s volleyball team.

Continuing its nine-game road trip, the Crimson (1-6) first matched up against the University of Toledo before playing the host team, University of Florida, several hours later.

Harvard lost both games against the tough foes, going 1-6 for the day in games.

“We have a pretty stacked preseason, because we want Ivy League competition to seem easier,” junior co-captain Lily Durwood said. “Hopefully we’re just prepared to play really fast-paced volleyball at the next level in our league.”

The Crimson next lined up against Georgia Southern and James Madison University on Saturday in the second and final day of the invitational.

SOUTH FLORIDA 3, HARVARD 0

In a game that featured five kills from five Crimson players, Harvard’s match against South Florida (7-5) proved very similar to the day’s first game against Toledo.

Bolstered by long offensive runs, the Bulls did not provide the women’s squad any chances for late-game comebacks.

South Florida started off the first set with one such run, scoring five straight points—three of which were aces. The Crimson could not keep up with the barrage of attacks and soon fell behind 13-3.

Assorted Crimson plays slowly augmented Harvard’s score, but frequent errors and the Bulls’ large lead precluded any hopes for a come-from-behind win. Finishing on a Crimson service error, South Florida took the match 25-15.

“We’d fight back, but they’d already be nine points ahead,” senior Kathryn McKinley said. “We’d go point-for-point, but we started a little bit too late. It starts with the first point in the first game.”

The Crimson’s lack of rhythm continued into the second set. Although several South Florida attack errors brought Harvard to within one point of its opponent at 6-5, the Crimson was unable to capitalize on its opponents’ mistakes.

Racking up three four-point streaks, the Bulls soon broke away to win the match 25-16.

As with the previous game, Harvard showed the most tenacity in the third frame. Not willing to give up the sweep without a fight, the Crimson jostled with the Bulls throughout most of play, tying 10 times.

Led by junior Chelsea Ono Horn and freshman Annie Ingersoll, Harvard hit for .333 in the third after posting minute percentages in the previous two sets. Despite the offensive boost, however, the Bulls pulled away to win 27-25, earning the 3-0 sweep.

“Sometimes we’re better at coming back then we are at starting ahead and then keeping a lead.” Durwood said. “The third match showed that we can do that.”

South Florida went on to beat Toledo in the final match of the tournament.

TOLEDO 3, HARVARD 1

Unlike several previous losses, Harvard encountered difficulty in keeping pace with its opponents. Aside from a dramatic third set, the Rockets (4-7) beat the Crimson by at least seven points in each game.

Toledo hit for .263, nearly doubling Harvard’s .132 attack percentage.

Positive notes for the Crimson included McKinley’s 13 kills, 11 digs, and .236 hitting percentage. Additionally, freshman Christine Wu posted a game-leading 19 digs.

Both the first and second games featured large Toledo leads.

In the first frame, the Rockets generated their lead quickly, going up 16-8 and then cruising to a 25-17 victory. Although Harvard kept up with Toledo late through the second game, the Rockets went on an 8-1 run to claim the frame 25-18.

“Streaks are something that our team is consciously working on,” McKinley said. “It’s about not allowing four or five or six points in a row anymore. We noticed it and worked hard at it—changing up passing or doing a different play.”

Harvard’s big moment came during the third set. The Crimson fell behind early, but would not allow the trend of the previous two games to define the third. Battling back from a 16-10 deficit, plays from Ingersoll and junior co-captain Kat Kocurek contributed to a 10-2 Harvard run that put the Crimson up 20-18.

Proving that they, too, could erase a deficit, the shutout-hopeful Rockets came back to within one point of the women’s squad, 24-23. Soon after, though, a McKinley kill thwarted hopes of a sweep, winning the set for the Crimson 25-23.

Despite coming out strong after its game-three victory, Harvard could not keep up the pace throughout the fourth set, losing 25-15.

The Rockets put up five straight points to kick off a scoring run that would place them 10 above the Crimson at 23-13.

Harvard, attempting another comeback, scored two straight, but an Ingersoll service error transferred possession to Toledo player Lori Ruth. Ruth then served a game-ending ace to conclude the match.

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