Women's Volleyball Opens Season with Three Losses

The Harvard women’s volleyball team will have to wait another weekend for a shot at its first win of the season.

The Crimson (0-3) hosted the Harvard Invitational at the Malkin Athletic Center over the weekend, settling for fourth place in the tournament after losses to Stony Brook, Sacred Heart, and American.

“Obviously, starting off the season with three losses was not what we were hoping for,” senior hitter Paige Kebe said. “But we are still in the process of integrating everyone in the team and finding their positions. Our lineups were all over the place, and I think we did a good job of being adaptable.”

Despite the result, Harvard saw excellent individual performances from several team leaders, including co-captain and blocker Christina Cornelius, who earned all-tournament honors with 13 blocks and 27 kills.

AMERICAN 3, HARVARD 1

Despite a first-set victory for Harvard, the Crimson fell off in the three ensuing frames, settling for a loss in the final match of the tournament.

American outside hitter Aleksandra Kazala dominated the offensive game for the Eagles, finishing with 25 kills off 39 total attempts. Harvard struggled much of the contest to stop the American offense, succeeding on only four blocks.

After the first set, the Crimson failed to keep pace, as the Eagles broke away with large leads at the end of sets. Only in the start of the last set did the hosts manage to hold onto a tight score before allowing a stronger American team to take charge.

SACRED HEART 3, HARVARD 2

Seeking a bounce-back victory Saturday afternoon, Harvard fell short in a narrow defeat against a fellow New England college.

“This was definitely a learning weekend,” Cornelius said. “We learned so much and focused on two things—resiliency and grit. We had some really great moments of that over the weekend and are heading in a good direction.”

Like Stony Brook, the Pioneers (2-4) already had one tournament under their belt before coming to Cambridge. Sacred Heart was also seeking its second win of the season before facing the Crimson.

The two teams traded set points in the first four games, leading to a critical tiebreaker. The back-and-forth play continued in the last set, as the Pioneers and Harvard were tied up five times during the frame.

However, Sacred Heart pulled away late, topped off by two kills to end the game. While the Pioneers had a lower hitting percentage and block totals than the Crimson, the visitors relied on slightly better dig totals and aces to edge their opponent.

Harvard’s defense hinged on freshman libero Sydney Vach, who recorded a team-high 17 digs.

Hitter and fellow rookie Mindie Mabry also impressed on the offensive side, delivering nine kills and 11.5 total points for the Crimson.

“The freshmen did great for their first tournament.” Kebe said. “ They were able to stay composed under the pressure, and we are really proud of their performance this weekend. Volleyball-wise, they definitely have some great skills.”

STONY BROOK 3, HARVARD 1

The Seawolves (3-4) captured their second win of the season on Friday night, defeating the Crimson in four sets.

Harvard’s lone game win came in the second set, when a match-high 18 kills and .444 hitting percentage allowed the Crimson to edge out Stony Brook, 25-22.

In that set, sophomore blocker Sope Adeleye earned four of her six total kills in the contest, while Cornelius ended the set with six finishes. A crucial attacking spree by Cornelius in the middle of the frame allowed the Crimson to break away from the Seawolves and earn the point.

However ,Stony Brook bounced back from the second set, defeating Harvard 25-16 in the third set and 25-19 in the fourth. While Cornelius’s nine kills marked a team high for the Crimson, four players on the Seawolves managed to end the night with double-digit kill totals.

Leading Stony Brook was junior blocker McKyla Brooks, who earned the Seawolves 17 points through her attacking prowess.

Searching for the season’s first victory, Harvard will travel to Dayton, Ohio, this weekend as it plays in the Holiday Inn Invitational against Midwest foes Wright State, West Virginia, and Texas Tech.

“Winning the Ivy League is our main overarching goal this season, something we haven’t done for a long time.” Kebe said. “Since we have such a young team, being able to work together and be adaptable in multiple positions will be really important for the team to be successful.”

—Staff writer Henry Zhu can be reached at henry.zhu@thecrimson.com.