Women's Volleyball Finishes 2-1 at Harvard Invitational

After a season-opening 0-3 performance at the Hokie Invitational, the Harvard women’s volleyball team turned things around at this weekend’s Harvard Invitational, finishing the tournament 2-1 and grabbing second place.

In front of a boisterous home crowd at the Malkin Athletic Center on Friday night, the Crimson (2-4) routed Manhattan (1-6) in straight sets. On Saturday, Harvard swept Providence (1-12) in the afternoon but fell in three sets that evening to Northern Kentucky (9-1).

“One of our goals in practice this week was to speed up our offense and just everyone play together as a team,” said senior setter Beth Kinsella, who handed out 58 assists and recorded 13 digs this weekend. “[The Hokie Invitational] was challenging, but I think we really worked hard this week and were able to focus on those things in practice.”

Captain and outside hitter Taylor Docter, sophomore middle blocker Caroline Walters, and freshman outside hitter Kathleen Wallace each earned a spot on this weekend’s All-Tournament team.

Junior right side Erin Cooney, who missed the majority of last weekend’s tournament after injuring her finger in the Crimson’s opener, was back in action and finished the tournament with 11 kills and five digs.

NORTHERN KENTUCKY 3, HARVARD 0

Against the Norse on Saturday night, the Crimson lost three tight sets, 25-21, 25-21, 25-23.

“This type of fast offense with…the fast middles is something we’re not used to,” said Wallace, who recorded seven kills in the match. “Now that we’ve seen it, we can better adjust, [and] we know what to prepare for in practice.”

Northern Kentucky led throughout the first set, grabbing a 21-19 lead. Norse senior middle hitter Shelby Buschur then recorded three straight kills to give her team match point. And following two Harvard points, Buschur closed the set with another kill.

In the second, Northern Kentucky responded to an 18-13 deficit with a 7-0 run to take the lead, which the Norse never relinquished.

In the final set, Wallace put the Crimson in good position to win, notching a kill that put Harvard up 22-20. But Northern Kentucky came storming back with two straight kills and never gave up the lead again.

Walters led Harvard with nine kills. Kinsella had 17 assists, while sophomore outside hitter Kristen Casey had 14 digs.

HARVARD 3, PROVIDENCE 0

Earlier in the day, Harvard got a three-set win against Providence, 25-20, 25-13, 25-16.

Harvard went up, 7-2, in each of the first two sets and never trailed the rest of the way, grabbing a 2-0 lead. But in the third, the Crimson tailed 14-11 before closing the game on a 14-2 run.

Docter led the game with 10 digs and freshman setter Hannah Schmidt added a team-high 19 assists.

Wallace, who had a game-high 12 kills against the Friars, attributed part of the Crimson’s success to its ability to get ahead early.

“I felt like we came out very strong compared to the other games in the past,” Wallace said. “We were calm, ready to play.”

According to Wallace, Walters’ service game was crucial for Harvard.

“[Walters’] serving was very phenomenal,” Wallace said. “When you have a strong server in the back row, it gives…the team confidence to play well, and it helps us build momentum.”

HARVARD 3, MANHATTAN 0

In Harvard’s home opener on Friday night, the Crimson routed Manhattan in straight sets, 25-18, 25-14, 25-14.

“We got our system going, obviously,” Harvard coach Jennifer Weiss said. “We did a nice job of controlling the pace of the match.”

Early in the opening set, the teams went back and forth. But with the score tied at 10, the Crimson went on a 10-2 run and eventually closed out the set on a Wallace kill.

“I think we served more aggressively,” Weiss said. “Those first couple points, you’re just kind of feeling out what the opponent’s doing.”

The first set had seven ties and two lead changes, but the next two were not nearly as contested. The Crimson built a 10-2 lead in the second, and closed out the frame with an 11-point win. In the third, Harvard used a 9-0 run to take a commanding 22-10 lead before closing the match with a 25-14 win.

Docter led the Crimson with 13 kills, while Casey notched 14 digs and Kinsella added 24 assists.

Despite Friday’s rainy weather, a noisy crowd trekked to the MAC to support the Crimson.

“It’s awesome that everyone comes out,” Kinsella said. “Sometimes you hear what they’re saying, sometimes you don’t, but regardless…playing at home is the best.”

—Staff writer Denny Purcell can be reached at dpurcell@college.harvard.edu.