Struggling with team inconsistencies and individual injuries, the Dartmouth volleyball team missed a chance at redemption against division rival Harvard on Friday night, falling in straight sets, 25-12, 25-15, 25-21.
Having lost two of three matches during last week's Dartmouth Invitational, including a 4-1 defeat by Harvard (7-7, 2-0 Ivy), the Big Green (4-8, 0-2 Ivy) sought to regain its momentum against a streaking Crimson squad that had won five straight coming into Friday's match.
"[Harvard] played at a faster pace than they did last time," head coach Ann Marie Larese said. "They were very steady. They were very aggressive."
With a young and injury-beleaguered roster, Larese stated that league matches can be frustrating but challenging for the Big Green starters.
Dartmouth opened the first set by tying Harvard at four points a piece. The Big Green, however, quickly faltered, as the Crimson lead grew as fast as its pace.
After opening a sizable 18-10 advantage, Harvard would maintain the eight-point gap throughout, before two Crimson kills closed the game at 25-15.
The second set was all Harvard, with solid blocks and an offense prowess that reflected its well-balanced play. Unable to crack a tight Crimson wall of defenders, the Big Green again fell into a large deficit as Harvard went out to a 17-5 lead. A short Dartmouth surge would cut the lead to 10, but Harvard finished strongly with a 4-1 run, ending the set at 25-15.
Assistant coach Paul Arrington attributed the struggles of the team to a number of weaknesses.
"Our problems were serving and passing," he said. "You have to have good passing to have a good middle."
In the third set, the Big Green seemed to have finally found a comfort zone, keeping pace with a potent Crimson offense and trailing at most by three.
With Harvard leading 21-19, Kendall Houston '12 would kill to pull the Big Green within one.
However, another strong finish by Harvard, including a service match-point by Crimson's Lily Durwood, capped the set 25-21 to end the match, 3-0.
When asked on how to address the team's inconsistent play, Larese was particularly concerned with the team's defense.
"Anything that gets through the block needs to get touched," she said. "We need to get the defense around our block."
Co-captain Megan MacGregor '10, who led the Big Green with nine kills and added six digs, reinforced Larese's emphasis on focusing on how the team runs as a unit rather than targeting individual performance.
"We need to focus on our side of the net rather than the other side," she said. "We need to work on communication."
Kendall, who had 11 sets, saw similar truths in the young team's overall performance.
"I just think [the loss] has to do with how young we are," Kendall said. "If we all work on our goals, if we all learn to execute properly, then inexperience shouldn't be a problem."
Looking ahead further into this season and beyond, Larese has provided freshmen starters with tough and much needed game-time experience.
"They're learning on the job, which is sometimes not the easiest to do," she said.
Freshman Krista Merchat '12 added that the team's lack of confidence may have given Harvard an upper hand both physically and mentally in Friday's loss.
"We get nervous and emotional when we're away from home," she said. "[Harvard] just played confident. They were at their house. When you play with confidence, it shows."
Indeed, Harvard's 0.355 attack percentage and 10 blocks showed not only its coordinated offensive and defensive roles but reflect the morale boost the Crimson received from the Cambridge crowd.
Friday's game was the Big Green's third consecutive match without middle blocker Morgan Covington '10, who dislocated her thumb during last week's invitational.
Since her injury, the Big Green has gone 1-3, with a 0-2 record in the Ivies.
Larese, however, remains optimistic toward Covington's recovery.
"She seems to be getting better and better each day," she said.
The Big Green heads into a weekend doubleheader against Yale and Brown on the road. Dartmouth plays its first match against the Bulldogs on Friday at 7 p.m. in New Haven, Conn.
