Men's Volleyball Hosts No. 9 UC Santa Barbara Thursday Night
The Particulars
After falling to cross-town foe MIT last week, Harvard returns home
to host two consecutive matches. The Crimson faces UC Santa Barbara
Thursday at 7 p.m. at the Malkin Athletic Center.
Last Time Out
Harvard lost to the Engineers in three sets in the Crimson’s
only match away from home in the month of February.
The first set featured five lead changes and 13 ties as the teams
traded points. A kill by MIT and a Crimson attack error cost
Harvard the final two points as the Engineers won the opening
set.
In the second set, the Crimson rallied from a seven point deficit
to tie the score at 25-25. The teams traded points until the score
was tied at 28, but Harvard was unable to stop MIT, who scored the
next two points to pick up the set win.
In the final set, MIT put together several runs of unanswered
points and Harvard was unable to get within reach as it fell,
30-19.
Erik Kuld posted 16 kills in the match while Gil Weintraub added
10. Kuld and Matt Jones each recorded five digs and Weintraub and
Derek Jansma each posted four digs. Rob Lothman handed out 26
assists while Weintraub dished out 12 assists.
Scouting the Crimson
Harvard is seeking its first win of the season, having fallen in
its first six matches.
Senior Gil Weintraub paces the team with 3.89 kills per set while
classmate Erik Kuld adds 3.86 kills per set. Freshman Rob Lothman
is handing out 10.29 assists per set. On the defensive side,
sophomore Dan Schreff leads the Crimson with 2.16 digs per set and
sophomore Nicola Ivica is registering 1.24 blocks per set.
Scouting The Gouchos
The Gouchos, who stand at 6-8 on the season, are ranked ninth in
the latest AVCA Division I-II Men’s Coaches poll. The team
holds a 5-1 record on the road.
Junior Jeff Menzel leads the team, as well as the nation, with 5.52
kills per set. Vince Devany is averaging 13.28 assists per set,
which ranks sixth in the nation. Andy McGuire averages 2.80
digs per set, good for 12th in the nation. With 1.06 blocks per
set, Sam Moisenco ranks 37th in the nation.
The Last Meeting
Harvard and UC Santa Barbara have met just once before in a matchup
in California on March 23, 1998. The Gouchos came away with a 3-0
victory over the Crimson.
On the Bench
Head coach Brian Baise, a 1995 graduate of Princeton, is in his
second season at Harvard. He brings an 11-14 overall record into
today’s match.
