Sliding downwards from a three-game loss in tournament play lost weekend, the Crimson lost again last night at the University of Lowell, bringing its slumping record to 6-7. The spikers lost three of four sets to a Lowell team that Harvard Coach Karen Altman termed "not really a powerhouse."

For the last ten days, a series of adjustments have caused a hesitancy on the court" as Coach Altman changed her lineup to include several former JV players. "We're really struggling trying to put it all together." Coach Altman said after yesterday's game.

Talk

Against Lowell, the players had trouble continuing long point rallies, and despite a few good plays, couldn't maintain an aggressive attack. It wasn't until the Crimson had lost 13-15 in the first set that the Spikers settled back and displayed some passing spike teamwork. Harvard took the second set, 15-9.

Fate

But in the same set, captain Margaret Cheng, an all-Ivy setter last year, turned an ankle and had to have it iced. Cathy Wong came in and played in the remaining sets. "We knew we had someone we could go to. "Altman said," With a tournament coming up this weekend, we figured that we'd better give Margaret a rest."

With Wong in the game, the spikers had to regroup, and, as in previous contests, had trouble putting it all together on the court. Lowell grabbed another set, 9-15.

"They [Lowell] only had one real power hitter," Altman said. "She blocked a lot of our shots, and hit well from the center. We seemed to be having a few mental lapses on the court."

The Crimson mustered enough strength for a fourth set, and second four points to Lowell's deciding 15. Altman cited Cecilia Meagher, who had been out with a sprained ankle for the last week of practices, as a strong point in the lineup. "Cecilia doesn't usually start, but she did in all four of the sets and did well blocking at the net, "she said.

Getting to Know You

With the changes that Altman has made, freshmen and sophmores now are a majority on the squad, and the inexperience has caused some disorganized play. "The players have strong skill," Altman said," but just haven't gotten used to each other."

Now, with four straight losses behind them, the Crimson players are slumping, trying not to get discouraged, Altman said, but added. "That's to be expected."

"We're taking each game as it comes," Altman said. "The games we lost are over, we are looking to our next games now."

The Crimson plays another tournament this weekend at the University of New Hampshire. The Spikers will play five matches, and players and coach hope that those contests will push them to a point where play action flows more naturally, without the need for thought.