Volleyball Looks to Avoid Winless Season

Nearing the close of yet another disappointing season, the Columbia volleyball team will try to grab its first Ivy victory of the season against the Harvard Crimson this evening in Cambridge. If the Lions want to avoid going winless in league play, tonight is likely their last chance as Harvard is the second worst team in the league, having beaten only Columbia and Brown. The Crimson is in the midst of a six-game losing streak, with its last victory coming against the Lions on Oct. 13.

Back in October the Crimson swept the Lions 3-0, with Columbia failing to record more than 23 points in a single set. The Lions have won four sets in their 12 league matches and have only won 15 on the season. To compare, league leader Princeton has won more than twice as many in league play alone.

Columbia is led by senior Natalie Gerling, who plays right side, and junior outside hitter Amalia Viti. Both Gerling and Viti average over 10 kills a match and, in the first match against the Crimson, Gerling led the team with 13 kills while Viti was second with 11.

Columbia has played all season with only 11 players on its full roster as numerous members of the team quit last spring. Of the 11, seven are freshmen and sophomores. Harvard’s team is relatively young as well, as nine of its 17 players are underclassmen. The Crimson is led by senior outside hitter Laura Mahon who leads the team in kills, is second in digs, and third in service aces. Mahon led her team with 15 points in its first match against the Lions while senior outside hitter Kathryn McKinley had 14.

The Crimson, which is 7-17 on the season, cannot change its standing in the Ivy League as sixth place Cornell is three games ahead with only two games left to play. As a result, this game serves as an opportunity for Harvard to distance itself from the Lions and ensure that it does not lose to a team that has only three wins all season.

The Lions’ chance to avoid their first winless Ivy campaign since 2003 begins at 7 p.m.