While the team claimed the Ivy League championship, they did not, however, win the Ivy tournament.

Harvard fell hard, finishing 2-2 in the tournament at Yale. It was a lackluster finish to an exceptional season.

Still, Coach Jennifer Bates' squad was much improved from just over a year ago. That team finished the 1996 season at 17-17.

The outlook for the Crimson's future is good. While losing two senior starters, Harvard retains a core unit from this season.

"It looks really good," Fitzgerald said. "Everybody is excited to get in shape for the coming season."

In addition to the returnees, the Crimson will add two promising freshman recruits from Georgia and California, continuing the recent tradition of strong recruiting.

"They just have so much talent on that team, and they are so young," said Lopez, who graduates today.

Experienced youth, while sounding like a good band name, means exciting things in the years to come for the Harvard women's volleyball team, perhaps even the trip to the NCAA tournament that eluded it this season.