The weekend was bittersweet for the volleyball team (9-7, 1-4 in Ivies), who hosted two Ivy League matches, against Harvard on Friday and Dartmouth on Saturday. Bruno was finally able to break its five-game losing streak on Friday by beating Harvard in four games, 25-19, 23-25, 30-28 and 25-19. But the team could not muster the same offense on Saturday when it faced the Big Green and lost the match in four games, 16-25, 22-25, 25-22 and 19-25.
After starting the season with a strong 8-3 record in preseason tournaments, the Bears' momentum stalled right before the Ivy season began. Unlike last weekend, when the team played the role of underdog in its matchup against Yale, one of the best teams in the Ivies, the team had a different mentality heading into the Harvard match.
"We were definitely looking for a win," said right-side hitter Brianna Williamson '11, who had one of her best offensive nights of her career against Harvard. "We were looking to get our confidence back."
The Bears meant business starting with the first serve. The offense came out firing behind the lead of Williamson, who put down 15 kills at a .350 clip along with an ace. Right behind Williamson was veteran Lyndse Yess '09, who was solid as usual, notching a double-double with 11 kills and 16 digs along with three serving aces.
Middle-blocker Ann Cowell '10 put down seven kills with a team-high .500 hitting percentage. Cowell also blocked five of the team's total seven blocks in the match. Making all these kills possible was setter and captain Natalie Meyers '09 who put up 49 assists along with 12 digs. Meyers also put down five kills and three aces of her own.
"I got some really great sets from Natalie," Williamson said. "There was great communication among the hitters. It was a team effort."
Behind their offensive fire, the Bears got an early lead in game one, which they maintained throughout the set before taking the first win 25-19. But the Crimson answered back in the second game when its offense picked up as well, racing to a 14-6 lead. The Bears fought hard to shrink the gap to three at 20-23. Harvard hung on in the end and scored the final two points to take the second game. The Crimson beat Brown in hitting percentage for the only game of the match, .267 to .239.
With the match tied at 1-1, both teams were determined to take the crucial third game. Brown controlled the game at first, leading 19-13, before Harvard got on an 11-5 run to tie the game at 24-24. Neither team was able to gain a two-point lead for the win, and the rally continued for six points, before the Bears finally ended it at 30-28.
Williamson said the team came out on top because everyone has trained hard in practice to play in tight situations. "When it comes down to it, we finish it," she said.
The win in the third game gave the Bears new energy in the fourth set. Much like in the first game, the Bears' offense outshined Harvard's .389 to .154, and they won the final game 25-19, for their first Ivy League win.
"The win against Harvard was very emotional for the team," said Head Coach Diane Short. "It was a good team win."
The Bears did not have too much time to celebrate as they prepared for their match against Dartmouth the next day. Harvard had already beaten the Big Green (5-9 overall, 1-3 Ivy) twice, including a 3-0 sweep in their last match. Dartmouth had a three-game losing streak of its own coming into the match against Brown. Brown had the edge, but the Bears' offense disappeared on Saturday when facing the Big Green.
"I don't know what happened against Dartmouth," Short said. "There was just (a) lack of intensity."
It didn't look like the Bears were going to have a letdown at the beginning of the Dartmouth match, as the team built an early 8-2 lead in the first game. But the lead quickly disappeared, and Dartmouth came back to tie it at 14-14. After that, Brown could not muster any offense and only scored two points, while watching the Big Green go on an 11-point run to take the first game.
Dartmouth kept attacking in the second game and led by seven points at 23-16 when the Bears' offense woke up, making up the six-point difference at 22-23.
But it was a little too late, as the Big Green scored the final two points to take the second game.
Trailing 2-0, the Bears knew they needed to do more if they wanted to make a comeback. Dartmouth controlled the game midway at 10-5, but Brown came back to tie the score at 15-15. The two teams traded points from then on, and Bruno was able to win its first game of the match, 25-22.
But that would be the last win for the Bears, as the Big Green came back strong in the fourth game, taking a 10-point lead at 13-3. The Bears played catch-up again, but this time, they fell short and lost the game 25-19, giving Dartmouth their first Ivy League victory.
In the four games against the Big Green, the Bears' offense only managed to hit .153, including a weekend low .100 in the last game. Dartmouth only hit .195 in the fourth game, but that was enough to win the match against a harmless offense from the Bears.
"It just didn't feel like the same team on the court. It wasn't exactly the same chemistry," Williamson said.
The Bears will play at Harvard and at Dartmouth later in the season. Before that, the team will first take on Penn and Princeton this Friday and Saturday at the Pizzitola. It will be the Bears' second-to-last home stand.
"We've got to play well," Short said. "We certainly will battle this weekend."
The team learned from the Dartmouth game that "we can't just be a one night team," Williamson said. "We have a lot of talent on the team. You are not going to see us playing like that again."
