A history and literature concentrator, Hart comes from a volleyball family, so to speak.

While her parents Cary and Gary didn't play, her younger sister Laura, 16, is following in the two older sisters' footsteps at Rio Americano High School in Sacramento.

"Always being tall, volleyball was something we could excel at right away," Katherine Hart said.

Elissa Hart, who is currently teaching eight grade in Washington, D.C., was a vocal person, according to Weiss.

Katherine, however, speaks softly. She is the type of athlete whose bite is worse than her bark.

Her coach calls it a "loud presence," the ability to lead by example rather than voice.

The team she is setting an example for happens to be returning from a 25-9 season with a 7-0 record in conference contests.

The goal for the year, of course, is an Ivy League title and a trip to the NCAA tournament, an accomplishment that could well happen if the pieces fall into place.

"There is a lot of parity in the league this year," Jennifer Weiss said. "Yale and Dartmouth are going to be strong."

Sophomore Angela Lutich, who had 164 kills last year, and junior Linda Jellison, who had 54 blocks, will hold prominent places in the Crimson attack.

Setters Kate Nash, the co-captain, and sophomore Julie Yick return this year, averaging 8.97 and 3.06 assists per game, respectively.

Melissa Forcum, a senior outside hitter, is the returning player with the most digs--she averaged 3.12 per game last year.

The lone freshman is Erin Denniston, an outside hitter from Irvine, California.

Weiss figures Denniston will be thrown into the mix with the older players.

"Once she gets comfortable with the college game, she will be phenomenal," Weiss said.