Conor Gaughan '02 (right) sets up teammate Evan Mager '99 for a smash against the Princeton men's volleyball team on Saturday, Feb. 27. The Crimson lost in three hard-fought games, 15-7, 15-9, 15-6. "Princeton is a perennially strong team," junior opposite Josh Banerjee said. "However, we knew they graduated four starters from last year's final four team. They were definitely vulnerable, but their serving was just too strong."

The month of February was a roller-coaster ride for the Harvard men's volleyball team (6-5, 0-3 Eastern Intercollegiate Athletic Association). After winning seven straight matches to claim the New England Collegiate Volleyball (NECV) Open championship, just three days later the Crimson stumbled against M.I.T. in its regular season opener, making it the first time Harvard had lost to the Engineers in more than a decade. To add insult to injury, the stunned Crimson fell to a vulnerable Concordia squad in four games at the Malkin Athletic Center (MAC) on February 7.

"I think that after winning [the NECV Open] we were a little overconfident going into the regular season. We were shocked by M.I.T., and I think it may have carried over into our match with Concordia. If we were to play them both again later in the season, we would no doubt be a different team," first-year coach Tom Wilson said.

After a week of hard practice in Cambridge, it looked like the Crimson had cleared away some of the early season cobwebs. After handing Rivier, Wentworth, and Daniel Webster a series of 3-0 decisions at the MAC, the team's momentum was abruptly halted by opponent Long Island University, Southampton. Despite outblocking and outdigging Southampton in their own Long Island arena, Harvard could not muster enough firepower against the Colonials, falling in four games.

Ed Pankau '00 leaps high during the same match.

"It was disappointing to lose [to Southampton] because we outplayed them for most of the match," said junior co-captain Ed Pankau. We made a few mistakes at critical points, which made all the difference."

The following weekend (February 19-20) the Crimson decided to turn up the intensity a notch. Senior middle blocker Evan Mager ranked seventh in the nation in hitting percentage, led the team to its second consecutive Burgandy & Gray tournament championship at Vassar College. In the tournament final against Eastern Mennonite, Mager, an all-tournament team selection in 1998, earned a rare triple-double with an impressive 20 kills, 10 digs, and 12 blocks. Teammate Pankau, who leads the nation in blocks per game, followed suit, posting a double-double of his own with 16 kills and a career- high 21 blocks. Freshman outside hitter Paul Guilianelli, who ranks sixth in the nation in digs per game, made his mark in the tournament semifinal against host Vassar, notching a match-high 14 kills, 12 digs, and two service aces.

"As individuals we've been improving dramatically since the beginning of the season," said freshman setter Conor Gaughan. "However, at the Vassar tournament we showed real improvement as a team." Gaughan, the team's virtual quarterback, leads the team in assists with 494 and is tied for the lead in digs with 80.

On Saturday, Feb. 27, Harvard and 150 dedicated fans welcomed the Princeton Tigers to the MAC. Inspired by the recent overtime upset by the men's basketball team over Princeton, the volleyball team looked to pull off a similar feat of its own. However, the Tigers, defending Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association champions, were simply too solid and prevailed in three hard-fought games, 15-7, 15-9, 15-6.

"Princeton is a perennially strong team," junior opposite Josh Banerjee said. "However, we knew they graduated four starters from last year's final four team. They were definitely vulnerable, but their serving was just too strong." Princeton's Brandon Vegter served for nine aces in the 90-minute match.

On Sunday, a tired Harvard team hosted 17th-ranked Rutgers, Newark. Despite losing game one by a score of 4-15, Harvard battled back in game two with strong blocking and amazing floor defense. After tying the score at 10-10, two costly hitting errors forced the Crimson to take its final time-out of the game. Behind the vicious jump serve of Brian Kessler, the Scarlett Raiders oulasted the Crimson 15-10 and rolled on to sweep the match 3-0. Harvard's Mager led the Crimson with 12 kills in the match.

"We played some good volleyball this weekend. Rutgers is probably the toughest team we'll face this year, and we gave them a match," said Coach Wilson. "Hopefully these matches will prepare us for the rest of our league schedule."

Harvard hosts undefeated EIVA opponent New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) on Saturday, March 6, at 1 p.m. at the MAC. Coach Wilson and the Crimson squad know they'll have to beat NJIT and win the next three consecutive league matches to have any chance at qualifying for the NCAA tournament. For the 1999 men's volleyball team, consistency will be key to a winning season.