M. Volleyball Rolls Right By Sacred Heart

With spring break around the corner, the Harvard men’s volleyball team wasted no time in dismantling division foe Sacred Heart, sweeping the Pioneers 3-0 (30-17, 30-16, 30-18) last night at the William H. Pitt Center in Fairfield, Conn.

Having already routed the Pioneers (2-10, 0-6 Sweeney) earlier this season, the Crimson (13-3, 9-1 Sweeney) came into the contest filled with confidence and looking for a quick victory to extend its win streak to thirteen.

“We were real motivated to try and get in there and dominate,” said junior middle hitter John Freese. “We’ve been looking forward to spring break for quite a while, so we just wanted to get out and get back to Cambridge.”

“We wanted to be really clean and efficient with our time,” captain Juan Ramos added.

In a primarily offensive battle, three Harvard hitters reached double-digits in kills. Junior middle hitter Seamus McKiernan—though still recovering from a minor shoulder injury—led the Crimson with a match-high 12 kills on .400 hitting. Freese and senior outside hitter Abe Marouf chipped in with 10 kills each.

“It was more of an offensive game against Sacred Heart,” Freese said. “Everyone on the team hit really well.”

Expecting to rout the Pioneers, Harvard coach Chris Ridolfi used the match as an opportunity to rotate in all of his players. In addition to giving playing time to sophomore middle hitter Andy Nelson and senior outside hitter Ryland Degnan, Ridolfi gave sophomore Dave Fitz—the regular starter at the setter position—the day off and started sophomore Laurence Favrot in his place.

The strategy worked out well, as Favrot was extremely efficient at setting up the Crimson attack, dishing out 34 assists to go along with three kills and four digs.

“We started passing well right off the bat,” Ramos said. “The rest of the match was easy because of that.”

Harvard took control of the match from the very beginning. In the first game, the Crimson battered the Sacred Heart defense, posting 16 kills on .419 hitting. With the Pioneers recording a negative hitting percentage—a pattern that would hold true for the entirety of the match—Harvard coasted to an easy 30-17 win.

The second frame was as unevenly matched as the first. The Crimson offense was just as ferocious, hitting .412 and nailing 17 kills.

With Favrot managing the setting, Harvard spread the ball and prevented the Sacred Heart blockers—who only managed a total of two blocks on the night—from getting in front of it. The Pioneers seemed to give in, allowing the Crimson to race to a 30-16 victory.

Leading 2-0, the Harvard players could feel the freedom of vacation at their fingertips.

“With spring break just two days away, we really had to concentrate,” Ramos said. “We didn’t want to let it get into our heads.”

The Crimson didn’t have to worry. Despite some of the regular starters sitting out, Harvard dictated the third game as well.

While the Crimson’s attack cooled down, the feeble Sacred Heart offense notched only eight kills on -.133 hitting. With the Pioneers’ defense crumbling, Harvard completed its sweep, 30-18.

“Everyone the team plays so well,” Ramos said. “It was great to see the guys who always practice hard to go out there and win.”

Having completed its Sweeney home-and-away slate and having secured the division title, the Crimson will not play again until April 8th at Rutgers-Newark. But Harvard will make good use of its time away from the court.

“Some of the guys are hurting a little bit, so we’re going to try and get rested up,” Freese said. “We’re all looking forward to some time off.”

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