The Sea Wolves soon bounced back to win the next two games, 15-11 and 15-11. In the fourth and final game of the match, the Crimson jumped out to a quick 10-1 lead, but Harvard's battery soon ran low. USB suddenly surged ahead to gain a 13-11 lead, and the Sea Wolves eventually won the game, 19-17.

Outside hitter Almaris Miranda led the Sea Wolves with 31 kills and 14 digs, and outside hitter Jessica Serrano also added a double-double with 16 kills and 10 digs.

Several Harvard players performed brilliantly during the Crimson's loss. The multi-faceted Lutich sparkled both offensively and defensively, with 17 kills and 19 digs during the match. Denniston equaled her Wagner kills total of 17.

The Crimson's freshmen made key contributions in Harvard's loss against Stony Brook. Freshman setter Mindy Jellin, who has comfortably eased into the role of the team's quarterback after the graduation of long-time Crimson star Kate Nash '99, compiled 47 assists and six digs for the match. Jellin's height has allowed her to become a key defensive asset for the Crimson in addition to being the core of Harvard's offense.

The Crimson will travel to Holy Cross Tuesday afternoon before finally beginning Ivy League play this weekend in two critical matches. Harvard will play Cornell on Friday afternoon and then Columbia on Saturday night.

"We're looking forward to starting league play," Denniston said. "Last season was very frustrating for us because we had a lot of problems with injuries, but we're excited about this weekend."

Although the Crimson ended up with only a second-place finish this weekend, it has made progress in its attempt to reverse the losing trend of the past two weeks.

Now that the Crimson's Ivy League schedule is about to start, change has come at the perfect time.