W. Volleyball Edges B.C. 3-2

CHESTNUT HILL--After trading wins for the first four games of the match, the Harvard women's volleyball team finally defeated the Boston College Eagles 3-2 last night.

Although B.C. (3-9) put forth a tremendous effort, the Crimson (3-3) was able to down the Eagles 13-15, 15-10, 16-18, 15-6 and 15-11. The win put Harvard back at the .500 mark and was a positive sign for upcoming league play.

"Boston College has a good team," said Harvard head coach Jennifer Weiss after the game. "This was good pre-Ivy league preparation. Our team is definitely getting better."

The first game went to B.C. 15-13, as the Crimson seemed to be out of sync in the first half of the game. Trailing 7-1, Harvard woke up, making a 12-7 run to make it 14-13 before the Eagles closed out the game.

In the next game, the Crimson jumped to a 12-5 lead and easily won 15-10.

Senior outside hitter Angela Lutich and co-captain Katherine Hart played an important role in the Crimson's win, maintaining the team's calm and composure during moments where the match might have slipped away.

"Angela and I kept the team steady, especially during serve-receive and in passing to the center." said Lutich said. "During the third game, we weren't doing that."

After being down 12-5, the Eagles surged to take the game 18-16 and a 2-1 lead in the match. Instead of folding, the Crimson raised their game to another level, taking the next set 15-6.

"I was frustrated, but it only fired us up" sophomore setter Mindy Jellin said.

It was Jellin who directed the Crimson's attack the entire night, recording 51 assists. Lutich anchored the defense with 19 digs on a night when Harvard faces a number of tight siituations.

"Defense and passing kept us in the game," Jellin said.

With Jellin stellar in the middle, the offensive attack was spearheaded by junior middle hitter Erin Denniston, who recorded 21 kills.

"There was no stopping her," Weiss said.

Denniston's 21 kills led all players in the game.

It was during the decisive fifth game that the Crimson played its best volleyball.

In a match that was swaying back and forth, the Crimson took advantage of their comfortable fourth game win and rode the momentum into the fifth game.

With newfound energy and by seizing the advantage early, the Crimson never surrendered the lead and held off the Eagles to win the game 15-11.

"Boston College is our rival, and this was a very important match for us" Lutich said. " It gives us great confidence before the start of the Ivy League season."

The loss spoiled a great game by Boston College freshman Jeana Boyle, who recorded a triple double with 16 kills, 33 assists and 18 digs.

Harvard's next games will be this weekend at the Harvard Classic, where they will face Providence, Holy Cross, and Hartford.