The Dartmouth women's volleyball team rolled past Harvard in its Ivy home opener last Friday at Leede Arena to remain undefeated in league matchups.
Beating the Crimson (4-9, 0-2 Ivy) in straight sets for the second time in two weeks, the Big Green (6-6, 2-0 Ivy) made its case to be a top league contender, backed by a healthy rotation and a strong offense.
"In the scheme of things, these two games are probably the most important matches we will play this season," co-captain Megan MacGregor '10 said. "Winning decisively twice in a row is a really big deal for us."
Harvard, which swept the season series against Dartmouth last year, will have to dig itself out of an early hole and regain its confidence against perennial Ivy powerhouses Yale and Cornell. "We definitely were confident coming into the match, as we won in three [sets] last week," MacGregor said. "Overall, I feel that our teamwork and confidence is so high right now, and it's only up from here."
The women's squad opened with a series of hard strikes and service aces in the first set, building on an early five-point lead.
Harvard was able to crawl back into contention with a 3-0 run before Dartmouth countered with eight straight points. Co-captain Morgan Covington '10 capped off the first frame with a sharp kill to finish a lopsided opening period, 25-14.
Despite its first-set frustrations, the Crimson squad jumped to an early four-point advantage in the second set. The home team mounted a 6-2 comeback to tie the score at seven.
An inconsistent Harvard offense gave Dartmouth many chances to pull away for good, but Big Green errors, along with a persistent Crimson defense, prevented a runaway victory.
Tied at 22, a self-inflicted service error by Harvard proved costly, as Dartmouth quickly exploited the shift in momentum. A service ace by Kendall Houston '12 completed the second-set victory, 25-22.
"We made a big play when we needed to make it," head coach Ann Marie Larese said. "When the game was close, we came up with that big play, and that swung the emotion to our side."
Heading into the third frame after several missed opportunities, the Crimson players remained composed, dealing hard strikes and maintaining a tight back row.
The Big Green offense, however, was too much for its outsized opponents, as outside hitters MacGregor and Madeline Baird '12 easily directed strikes past frontline blockers into the holes of the defense.
Dartmouth built a three-point lead at 15-12 and never looked back. Houston padded the widening margin with five straight service points, en route to a 25-19 win and a sweep in straight sets.
MacGregor continued her impressive performance with 16 kills and a .517 hitting percentage with three blocks, while Baird posted 12 kills with seven digs.
Houston, who added four service aces, led both teams with 35 assists. The sophomore setter is averaging a team-high 7.85 assists per set.
Larese cited Houston's strong setting as crucial in Dartmouth's improved offense scheme.
"We worked on our passing," she said. "We have worked a lot with [Houston], who is gifted to begin with. If you have great passing, you have more options. It's a split-second game. She has to make a ton of decisions."
Larese also pointed to the depth of the starting lineup, which includes middle blockers Annie Villanueva '12 and Krista Merchat '12, both of whom have posted solid numbers and contributed to the Big Green's offensive prowess.
The Big Green will follow up its opening victories with Ivy League road matchups against Columbia next Friday and Cornell next Saturday.
