Last spring, the Harvard women's volleyball team set out on a quest for a new coach. The spikers advertised, made countless phone calls and contacted almost everyone connected with the Eastern volleyball establishment.

Everyone, that is, except Seth Farber.

Just when the squad was running out of numbers to call, Farber--a member of the Harvard men's team--stepped forward and asked to be considered for the position.

The only problem was that Farber was coming back for his senior year in 1985.

After consulting with the NCAA, which approved of the undergraduate coaching arrangement so long as Farber was not paid, the Crimson hired the Cabot House student.

"He's doing it out of the goodness of his heart and for the good of the women's volleyball program," Assistant Director of Athletics John Wentzell says.

Although Farber only plans to coach for one year, he will concentrate on foundations for the future like recruiting and administrative organization.

The spikers, who finished sixth in the Ivies last season, aren't sure whether Farber can produce a winning season--but they know he can change the atmosphere.

"I think he will get the group in a happier mode," says junior Co-Captain Caroline Young. "He will make it fun first. It lost all of its fun last year."

A junior Phi Beta Kappa selection, Farber certainly has his work cut out for him: the Crimson lost five players from last year's unit.

Besides Young and Co-Captain Lisa Eskow, Farber will rely on juniors Jodi Cassell, Pascale Jean-Louis and Stephanie Salinas, and sophomores Kelly Abraham and Suzie Tapson.

In fact, Tapson may be the crucial returnee on a squad short on hitters.

As usual, the Crimson will work toward the Ivy Tournament--to be held this year at Brown on November 15-17. While upsetting powerhouses Princeton, Penn and Cornell seems out of the question, Harvard hopes to shoot for a fourth-place showing.

The biggest stumbling block may be that the team's home--the Indoor Athletic Building--will not be ready for the beginning of the season. As a result, the spikers will have to contend with makeshift courts in Briggs Athletic Center.