An important reason for Harvard's lackluster play in the second game was the exhaustion associated with playing three matches in five days.

"I felt physically, but more importantly, mentally fatigued from a really intensive week of three games and practice on the two off-days," freshman setter Mike Bookman said.

In addition to the Crimson's mental and physical weariness, Harvard Coach Tom Wilson used the second game to experiment with some new lineups.

For instance, Wilson gave some playing time to freshman Alex Kowell. Wilson played Kowell at middle blocker and moved Pankau to opposite, creating some initial confusion.

"Ed did a nice job playing a new position so Alex could get some experience in the middle," senior outside hitter Joe Herger said.

Kowell appreciated the playing time and noticed some definite room for improvement.

"Although I hit the dooker, I felt like I made a good defensive contribution and look forward to working on my game," Kowell said.