The Harvard women's volleyball team proved that the Charles River was not the only place to party this weekend.

The Crimson ended its weekend with a flourish, winning one out of two important Ivy League matches at the Malkin Athletic Center (MAC). PRINCETON  3 HARVARD  0 PENN  2 HARVARD  3

After losing to the Princeton Tigers (9-9, 3-1 Ivy) in three games, 8-15, 1-15, 12-15, on Friday night, the Crimson (6-14, 3-2) bounced back to defeat the University of Pennsylvania (5-10, 0-5) in five games, 12-15, 15-12, 6-15, 15-9, 15-7, on Saturday afternoon.

Princeton 3, Harvard 0

On Friday night, co-captain outside hitter Melissa Forcum led the Crimson with 10 kills and 11 digs, and co-captain Kate Nash had 12 digs. Princeton outside hitter Rose Kuhn chalked up 19 kills and 15 digs, and sophomore outside hitter Sabrina King had 13 kills and 14 kills to contribute to the Tiger attack.

The Tigers took advantage of the Crimson's miscues at the start of the first game. Kuhn and setter Sabrina King formed a powerful combination that consistently found holes in the Harvard defense. Kuhn had seven kills in the first game alone to pace the Tigers' offense.

"There was just a lack of communication, especially at the beginning of the game," Forcum said.

The match worsened for the Crimson in the second game. The Tigers jumped ahead early to grab the lead and took advantage of the injury plagued Crimson, who had only two kills during the game. The Tigers won the second game easily, 15-1.

The third game sealed the Crimson's fate. Although Forcum (seven kills) and Nash (19 assists, seven digs) attempted to rejuvenate the team, the relentless attack of the Tiger front line continued. An ace by Princeton senior Emily Brown with the Tigers leading 13-10 killed the Crimson rally, and Princeton won, 15-12.

The loss was the first in Ivy League play for the Crimson women this season. The Crimson had not lost a three-game Ivy League match since the 1996 season.

With three players sitting out due to injury, the Crimson suffered from a lack of chemistry that the Tigers used to their advantage.

"With starters out, it's hard to find the right chemistry," said Coach Jennifer Weiss. "When we played together, we played well, but our errors are what really hurt us in the end."

"It was just a very frustrating experience," said freshman middle hitter Erin Denniston. "We weren't trying hard enough, and we just weren't there."

Harvard 3, Penn 2

On Saturday afternoon, the Crimson vanquished the ghosts of its past with a hard-fought, emotional victory against the Penn Quakers. The win marked the first time in six opportunities that the Crimson has won a five-game match this season.

Forcum played a phenomenal game with 24 kills and 13 digs. Denniston had 13 kills, and Nash added 14 digs and 51 assists. For the Quakers, junior Angie Whittenberg led with 13 kills and 17 digs.