The men's volleyball team hit the road this past Saturday and Sunday and returned with its first two league victories and a huge 3-0 win against rival Harvard.
The weekend began with a dual match at St. Anselm's on Saturday against St. Anselm's and Bates. The Big Green, 2-0 going into the matches, had two strong victories to remain undefeated.
"It was a totally incredible weekend," co-Captain Jeremy Longinotti '96 said. "Saturday was important because we established ourselves in the league."
Saturday also saw two other big changes for Dartmouth. Rick Fasani '96 moved permanently to the setter position and the second string, which played in the third games against St. Anselm's and Bates, managed to win both of those games.
"Our depth is outstanding," Longinotti said, "and it continues to improve in skill and consistent play from the second string."
Dartmouth beat both Bates and St. Anselm's by scores of 3-0.
The match against Harvard, though a non-league game, was an even bigger win for the Big Green, and especially for the team's seniors. Harvard and Dartmouth were always rivals on the varsity level, so when Dartmouth was demoted to a club sport the two teams decided to continue the rivalry.
But the Crimson have been the better team for the past four years and have beaten the Big Green every time the two teams met. Dartmouth ended its losing streak against Harvard on Sunday with a resounding 3-0 win.
Dartmouth jumped out to a commanding 10-2 lead in the first game before Harvard realized what had hit them. Harvard clawed back but the Big Green held on to win 15-12.
Dartmouth went on to win the second and third games 15-11 and 15-9 to shut out the Crimson.
"We knew we had the talent," Longinotti said. "But we figured we'd need to execute. Nobody on this team has ever beaten Harvard and for the seniors, this season was our last chance."
Dartmouth did execute, with almost perfect passing and only 12 hitting errors in the whole match. Both team offense and defense were spread evenly. Five players had six or more kills and the team combined for 30 digs and 22 blocks.
The Big Green will face Harvard again Feb. 14, this time in Hanover. Dartmouth could even possibly face Harvard a third time in the Ivy League tournament in April.
The men return to action this Saturday in the NECV open at M.I.T. -- a 35 team tournament. The team returns home Feb. 8 to begin a seven-match homestand against Tufts at Leede Arena.
