Volleyball Falters, Still Winless in Ivies

After ending a seven-match losing streak its last time out, the Harvard women’s volleyball team took the floor at the Malkin Athletic Center last Friday night looking to avenge the loss to Ivy League rival Dartmouth earlier this season. Unfortunately for the Crimson, the home-court advantage was not enough to tip the scales in favor of Harvard (3-11, 0-2 Ivy) as the Big Green (11-2, 2-0) took the win in four sets.

“It was a tough loss,” said junior co-captain Anne Carroll Ingersoll. “We went up to their house last week and lost, so we came in hungry for a win against them. We were so pumped up for this game on our floor and had the chance to get back at them for last time, but we just couldn’t finish them off.”

“We didn’t come out and play with the same intensity as our last game,” junior libero Christine Wu added.

The first set was a back-and-forth affair in which Harvard started the night strong with some very clean play, committing only two attack errors. It remained within striking distance of Dartmouth for the entire set, rallying twice from five- and four-point deficits, respectively, until the score reached 21-19 in favor of the Big Green. But the hitting errors came at an inopportune time, as Harvard’s comeback stalled and kills from Dartmouth junior Madeline Baird and senior Kelsey Johnson gave the visitors the opening set victory, 25-20.

In the second set, the Big Green raced to an early 12-4 lead. Harvard managed to find a spark of energy on kills from Ingersoll and freshman Erin Cooney. Several blocks from Ingersoll and freshman Teresa Skelly catalyzed an 11-4 run for the Crimson, but that would be the closest that Harvard would get. Nine of the next 10 points would be in Dartmouth’s favor, and the Big Green went on to claim the set, 25-16.

“When we won last time out [against UNH on Tuesday], we were full of energy,” Ingersoll said. “We celebrated every single block, every single kill, and used that to fuel us to play even better. We had some decent moments [Friday], but overall, that energy wasn’t there for us. It’s hard to rally from behind, and it takes a lot out of you as a player, especially when you can’t finish the comeback.”

The Crimson showed signs of life in the third frame, as Harvard would maintain the lead for most of the set, but Dartmouth pushed the home team to its limits. Whenever the Crimson regained the lead and attempt to widen the gap, the Big Green came storming back. With the score tied at 20, the momentum started shifting towards Dartmouth’s side. But Harvard was able to fend off the Big Green attack with a key block from Skelly and Ingersoll. After two clutch kills from the junior co-captain, including the decisive set winner, the Crimson took the frame, 25-22.

“The third set was definitely the high point of our night,” Ingersoll said. “We weren’t going to go down without a fight. Everything they gave us, we threw right back at them even harder. Everyone was pumped up, and we found that energy we were missing. We finally got into our rhythm.”

“Things finally clicked for us,” Wu added. “We got a tough win out of that third set and thought that would give us the momentum for the rest of the night, but it just didn’t happen for us.”

In the final set, Dartmouth took an early 9-4 lead and never looked back. Despite solid performances from sophomore Taylor Docter, Skelly, and Cooney down the stretch, the Big Green was able to push the lead to 24-13. A service error would end the night for Harvard, as it lost the set, 25-16, and the match, 3-1.

On the stat sheet, Ingersoll led the team with 10 kills and three blocks. Skelly added eight kills of her own and chipped in a team-high four blocks. Wu added 15 digs, while assist-leaders sophomore Beth Kinsella and rookie Natalie Doyle had 16 and 12 helpers, respectively. As a team, the Crimson had a .192 hitting percentage but was relatively error-free, tallying only 12. Both of Harvard’s conference losses this season have come against Dartmouth, which has won its last four matchups with the Crimson.

“[The loss] is going to push us,” Ingersoll said. “We’re going to work harder and play harder. We’re going to come out and win.”