Crimson Sweeps Before Getting Swept

After coming up short against Ivy League-leading Penn (16-4, 7-0) 3-1, the Harvard volleyball team (8-11, 4-4 Ivy League) sought to go over .500 in conference play when it took a two-game road trip against Brown (5-13, 1-6) and Yale (18-4, 6-1) this weekend.

The Crimson swept Brown 25-23, 25-17, 25-21 to go over .500 in conference play, and then came out firing against Yale (18-4, 6-1). But after a challenging first set, the Bulldogs overwhelmed the Crimson with its attack and escaped in three sets, 25-23, 25-18, 25-21, dropping Harvard back to an even record in conference play.

YALE 3, HARVARD 0

Five Crimson players notched at least five kills, but sophomore Anne Carroll Ingersoll led them all with nine. Senior Lily Durwood had 30 assists, extending her streak to six consecutive games with at least 30 assists.

After Yale opened a 14-9 lead in the first set, Harvard responded with four-straight points with the help of two kills from senior Chelsea Ono Horn to keep the first set a nail-biter to the end. The Crimson tied the score at 20, 22, and 23 in the first set, but two consecutive Harvard errors solidified the 25-23 opener for the Bulldogs.

“We came out ready to play against Yale and played three very solid games,” Ono Horn said. “It didn’t work out in our favor, but we definitely showed we were ready to play and we really did most things right”

The final two sets were a story of Yale runs, as Yale turned a 4-4 tie into a 10-5 lead and responded to the Crimson’s rally that tied the score at 11 with five consecutive points to lead 16-11. Ingersoll’s kill late in the set brought Harvard to a 20-18 deficit, but Yale responded with four kills and an ace to close out the set.

The third set saw five lead changes before the score was evened at 13-13 midway through the set. The Bulldogs led early, and Harvard fought back to cut Yale’s lead to 20-18. But it was the same story as the second set, as Yale went on another four-point run to hold a 24-18 lead and eventually closed out the match with a 25-21 victory in the final set.

“There were definitely a couple of games where we let Yale get on a run or two,” Ono Horn said. “You definitely can’t let that happen, because they are the kind of team that can take that kind of advantage and run with it.”

Harvard will have one more shot at Yale when the teams square off at the Malkin Athletic Center on Nov. 6.

“We had trouble getting used to them as a team,” Durwood said. “They kept attacking our middle back, and that was hard for us to defend with our system...I definitely think we will adjust our defensive systems before we play them next time.”

HARVARD 3, BROWN 0

Harvard was seeking to go over .500 in conference play and ensure it wouldn’t hand Brown its first Ivy win of the year when the two conference foes squared in Providence Friday evening.

The Crimson escaped a tight first set and wore down Brown toward the end to gain the win. With the score tied 4-4 in the first set, Brown made an outstanding run to quickly extend its lead to 12-5. Harvard rallied and eventually evened the ledger at 19 before a timely Bears error gave the Crimson the lead for good, 22-21. Harvard never trailed in the following two sets to secure a crucial league victory.

Junior Mikaelle Comrie led Harvard with 16 kills and only two errors on 24 swings to notch a .412 hitting percentage. Sophomore Sandra Lynne Fryhofer added eight kills on 20 swings for a .400 mark for the day.

“We came out really ready to play against Brown, and we worked a good system,” Ono Horn said. “We started off excited to play, worked within ourselves, and took care of business.”

Sophomore Christine Wu had 17 digs for the Crimson and Durwood recorded 30 assists.

“Brown is kind of a tough opponent—you never really know what to expect from them,” Durwood said. “They play really scrappy defense, and they can really come back at you. This hasn’t been a great year for them, but they are still a really tricky team to play, and it was good that we got the win.”

Harvard held a 42-36 kill advantage as well as 6-1 lead in blocks for the match. The Bears out-dug the Crimson slightly, 60-53.