Women Volleyballers Smoked by Friars

The Harvard women's volleyball team suffered a tough loss last night on the court, but not to its confidence.

Though the Crimson (3-7) lost to Providence College (12-3) in three straight games, the team remains extremely positive about its level of play.

"We are psyched to be home and we really clicked tonight," senior Jody Iriye said. "Everyone played very strong and we're really putting it all together. We also passed the ball well, which is the key to a strong offense."

The Crimson lost the first game, 15-12; the second, 15-13; and the third, 15-10.

In the first two games, the Crimson started out ahead, only to fall behind late. In the second game, it was ahead 13-10 at one point before giving up five straight points.

In the third game, the team experienced serving difficulties and trailed throughout the game.

"Providence is a very strong team," Coach Jennifer Bates said. "We played well as a team and are getting stronger with each meet."

A highlight for the Crimson was the debut of freshman Lolita Lopez at setter.

"Lolita came in and played really well," commended Iriye. "She took control like a quarterback does in football and ran the plays."

"Lolita was very confident and that is important because the setter touches every ball," added senior Rachel Heit.

Lopez spent the pre-season improving her skills for the setter's position. In high school she played middle blocker but her height demanded a change for the college game.

"I tried to move the ball around and vary up the plays using all three positions so that they couldn't read them," Lopez commented after the game.

Other outstanding contributions came from Jennifer Jose and Rachel Heit. Jose's kills added a lot of offense to the Crimson's attack along with Heit's excellent play outside.

"I am very with the performance of the team. Our record doesn't show the level of the competition we have played," Bates said. "This week we are going to work on our passing and a quicker defence in preparation for our Penn game Friday." Providence  3 Harvard  0