M. Volleyball Falls to Roger Williams, 3-0

BRISTOL, R.I.--Wednesday was a night of firsts for the Harvard men's volleyball team. Unfortunately, all the firsts were of the negative variety.

Harvard (6-2, 4-1 EIVA) lost to Roger Williams (13-6, 4-3) in three straight games (8-15, 11-15, 13-15). This was the first league loss for the Crimson, its first road loss, and its first loss by a sweep this season.

Harvard was unable to play its full roster in Rhode Island. Both sophomore outside hitter Isaac Chen and freshman middle blocker Alex Kowell were kept out of the match by ankle injuries. In addition, sophomore middle blocker Justin Denham played despite a sore back.

"Volleyball is a pounding sport," junior co-captain Justin Micomonaco said, "When we're not playing we live in the training room."

After an interesting rendition of the Star Spangled Banner, the first game got underway and the wear and tear of the last few weeks was readily apparent.

The Hawks jumped out to a quick 4-0 lead, taking advantage of the Crimson's sluggish floor defense.

"It was obvious from the first few points that it was going to be an uphill battle all night," co-captain Ed Pankau said.

Harvard, which was plagued by an inconsistent defense, also suffered from an anemic offense that was not able to put up points as readily as it was in earlier games.

The end result of the injuries and sloppy play on both offense and defense was a 15-8 Roger Williams win in the first game.

"We came out flat," Harvard Coach Tom Wilson said, "However, we put ourselves in a position to win games two and three."

Harvard came out more aggressive in the next two games. Senior outside hitter Joe Herger turned up the intensity for the Crimson offensively and defensively. Herger led the team in kills (15) and digs (16) and continues to lead the nation in digs per game (3.71).

Unfortunately for Harvard, Roger Williams also matched the increased intensity and scored the last four points to win the second game 15-11.

Trailing 2-0, Harvard was in unfamiliar territory. This was the first time this season the Crimson had dropped the first two games of a match.

Despite the deficit, Harvard did not give up. Urged on by the cheers of former captain A.J. Lewis '99, the Crimson took the floor for the third game.

Harvard again trailed early in the game with Roger Williams taking a four-point lead at 7-3. But the Crimson clawed its way back and led late in the game, 13-10.

Wilson called a timeout to focus the Crimson on winning the third game and extending the match. But Harvard was unable to resist the Roger Williams onslaught and eventually succumbed to the Hawks, 15-13, in the third and final game.

"Roger Williams had its back to the wall," Wilson said of the Hawks, who have already lost two league matches. "They we just more fired up to play than we were."

Although most aspects of Harvard's attack were plagued by inconsistency, the Crimson managed to serve with a season-high .975 serve percentage.

In addition, Denham fought through his back problems to contribute seven kills.

Harvard will now regroup and focus its attention on Sunday's home match against Columbia Union at the Malkin Athletic Center. With a win, Harvard will maintain its overall lead in the league, but more importantly, regain the momentum it lost on Wednesday night.