The Harvard men's volleyball team had expected to play the role of Goliath last night at the IAB, but David--a.k.a. Albany State--bowed out. Faced with an unexpected hole in his schedule. Crimson Coach Mike Palm asked five friends to help him fill in. Suddenly Harvard had fallen from top dog to underdog.

You see, Palm and company turned out to be six of New England's top spikers. The Crimson faced a squad whose least experienced member--Rich Rohan '81--possessed All-Ivy credentials, while Steve Kay '76 brought with him the experience of three national championships on a club team.

Despite the overwhelming quality of the competition. Harvard put up quite a fight. The Crimson fell in three straight games, 15-12, 15-9, 15-9, but held its own in each contest.

Working Out

"For the Harvard undergrads to stay as close as they did was quite a feat," Palm said, explaining that he'd expect his friends would beat any college team.

The Harvard defense dived for some spectacular saves that turned the heads of Palm's superstar buddies. Scores came almost exclusively on high-speed spikes. "Nothing soft hit the floor all night," Crimson co-captain Brad Martin said.

As usual, Harvard's offense came through with some powerful attacks. Sean Doyle, Jon Ross and David Twite drilled the ball so hard Palm's friends were occasionally caught watching.

No Argument Here

If the Crimson can maintain last night's level of play. Palm predicted "encouraging results against Princeton and Army" when Harvard returns to league play this weekend.

Playing in a game against Harvard helped Palm spot some Crimson weaknesses. Palm said his charges can make better use of their middle hitters--the two players at the center of the net--by using more quick sets to keep the momentum after saves.