There’s no secret to this recipe.

Use the award-winning mold from 2004. Then take a deep sophomore class and mix thoroughly with a batch of fresh newcomers. Throw in a pinch of senior leadership, and season lightly with some team chemistry.

Now, after two weeks in the preseason oven, the 2005 edition of the Harvard’s women volleyball team finds itself ready for some Ivy League action.

“The matches we’ve played thus far have been tough competition,” says Crimson head coach Jennifer Weiss. “That’s one of our goals, to play tough competition to prepare us for the Ivies.”

When Harvard faces Dartmouth in Hanover, N.H., on Friday, it will be the first time ever that the Crimson will take the court as defending league champions.

Having won the Ivy title in 2004, last season’s squad became the only one in Harvard women’s volleyball history to achieve the feat.

But the Crimson knows that there’s an asterisk right next to that achievement—Harvard finished in first place, but so did three other teams.

“Having a four-way tie is really not satisfying,” co-captain Sarah Cebron says. “We want to be alone at the top.”

Coming into the preseason, the other seven Ivy teams might have scoffed at Cebron’s words, noting the graduation of the Crimson’s former primary offensive threat, Kaego Ogbechie ’05. With the two-time Ivy League Player of the Year gone from the roster, Harvard no longer boasts the kind of athlete who can suddenly and overwhelmingly change the momentum of a match.

Cebron, however, sees the positives in Ogbechie’s departure.

“Sometimes last year, Kaego was such a superstar,” she says. “She’s awesome, and we miss her, but not having her has made a lot of other people step up.”

Indeed, the 2005 version of the Crimson is more balanced. Rather than one player registering 20 kills a match, several Harvard players have been contributing to the attack.

Sophomore Suzie Trimble has been a force down the middle over the first two weeks of the season, garnering two all-tournament nods and picking up Ivy League Player of the Week honors as well. Classmate and reigning Rookie of the Year Laura Mahon has complemented Trimble on the outside and also leads the team in digs per game.

The most pleasant development for the Crimson, however, has been the play of the freshmen.

Setter Laura Mays and outside hitter Kathryn McKinley have earned starting spots and have been integral parts of the team, contributing solidly down the stretch.

“Laura and Kathryn have both come in and done a great job,” Cebron says. “When you play with them, you don’t feel like you’re playing with freshmen.”

Unfortunately for Harvard, the other members of the Ancient Eight have brought in some strong recruits, too.

Fellow Ivy defending champion Yale—who defeated the Crimson in the season-ending playoff to determine the recipient of the automatic NCAA bid—has added a talented freshman class to a squad that already possesses several accomplished returning players.

And Penn, the perennial champion who just missed out on getting a piece of the league title last season, has brought in four freshmen in an effort to regain its place atop the Ancient Eight standings.

“There is so much parity in the league every year,” Weiss says. “We’re not going to take anyone lightly.”

But the Crimson’s opponents would also do well to adopt a similar mentality, for Harvard’s ability is not to be underestimated. While the Crimson only has one senior on the roster, all the upperclassmen have faced the heat of a championship race and learned how to come out on top.

Combine this invaluable experience with a balanced attack and a deep bench, and Harvard has the recipe for success.

“We have a great shot this year,” Cebron says. “We know we can do it—we know what it feels like to win.”

—Staff writer Karan Lodha can be reached at klodha@fas.harvard.edu.