And in addition to having the right mentality, Cserny will also be bringing some legitimate—albeit limited—big game experience to the captaincy.

In the Crimson’s last two trips to the NCAA Tournament, Cserny impressively emerged as the team’s leading scorer in both, putting up 16 against North Carolina in 2001 and then notching a game-high 25 against Kansas State in 2002. She already knows how to deal with pressure.

The difference, of course, will be dealing with it devoid of Peljto.

And in that sense, Cserny has to be afraid. She has to somehow fear the impending double-teams, the swarms of defenders that will be focusing on her alone, the burden of once again contending for a league title, albeit with four freshmen and just one other senior on the team.

Cserny’s prearranged goal, in the end, is not only to survive, but to excel.

For her part, she “doesn’t think about it that much.”

“It’ll be different,” she says, “but I try not to put so much pressure on myself because that can backfire.”

And hey, why not? She has another reason to be confident, as well, even beyond the points, the awards, the experience and the respect she commands from teammates and coaches.

In a way, she’s been through this before, although on a larger, grander scale.

When looking back at what’s taken her to Harvard—her challenges, her journey—this story can only seem familiar.

—Staff writer Pablo S. Torre can be reached at torre@fas.harvard.edu.