V-ball hits skid row

Victory remained elusive for new men’s head volleyball coach Chris Ridolfi and his charges as the Crimson dropped their third consecutive match at home, 3-1, against Rivier College on Feb. 1. Harvard falls to 0-3 with the loss, staying winless on the season.

The string of defeats dates back to the team’s season-opener on Jan. 27, when a boisterous Newbury College dismissed the Crimson, 3-2, in a wild back-and-forth affair. The Nighthawks captured games two and four – 30-26 and 30-22, respectively – and the tiebreaker, 15-13, to improve to 4-0.

Three days later, Queens College pushed Harvard to five games, and also left Malkin Athletic Center the victor. Abe Marouf – one of four seniors on Ridolfi’s roster – paced the Harvard attack with 21 kills and 11 digs on the evening as the Crimson captured the first game, 30-21. The Knights responded with consecutive wins, dominating game two by a score of 30-17, and edging the hosts 30-27 in game three. Harvard evened the match at two wins apiece in game four with a commanding 30-23 win before narrowly dropping the final contest, 16-14, to improve the Knights to 4-1.

Most recently, the visiting Rivier College Raiders sunk the Crimson in four games in another hard-fought match. After taking the first contest, Harvard dropped three straight – though not without a fight – to set up the 3-1 final. Indeed, the Crimson twice forced the Raiders into extra points, but ultimately came out on the short end of a pair of 33-31 heartbreakers in games two and four to seal the deal.

Harvard will look to notch its first win of the young season when it takes on Vassar in Poughkeepsie, N.Y, on Feb. 6. Visit http://www.gocrimson.com for scores.