Shot at First Victory Slips Away After Comeback Attempt

In a five-game thriller, Harvard men’s volleyball team fell to Puerto Rico-Mayaguez at the Malkin Athletic Center Monday night, losing 3-2 (30-26, 30-24, 23-30, 28-30, 15-11).

The third frame seemed to turn the momentum strongly in favor of the struggling Crimson (0-3), which had a potential glimpse of victory for just the first time this season during the match.

Jumping out to a 14-10 lead, Harvard finally found a rhythm, thanks to the play of sophomore setter Brian Rapp. Originally a libero, in his new position Rapp had 14 assists in the third game and 52 overall.

“He’s playing a new position,” senior Seamus McKiernan said. “He came in and played like a senior, leading the team and playing superbly in the clutch when we needed him.”

McKiernan added his own flare with six kills in the third game and 21 overall.

“[McKiernan] is our best player,” Crimson coach Chris Ridolfi said. “We need to find a way to get him the ball on a more consistent basis.”

As a team, Harvard hit .600 in the third frame with sixteen kills and just one error, never trailing on its way to the 30-23 victory.

The Crimson finally adjusted to its new responsibilities since the loss of setter Dave Fitz—who has been wearing a boot on his leg.

Harvard notched 14 blocks, with seven from freshman Brady Weissbound, while sophomore Jordan Weitzen posted his first double-double of the season with 11 kills and 11 digs.

Despite this newfound rhythm, the fourth game brought troubles for the worn-out Crimson, which battled point for point before falling behind 21-17.

But after a much-needed timeout, the team battled back to tie the game at 24, thanks to two kills from Weissbound.

Fighting point for point yet again, Harvard pulled ahead 28-27 on a kill from McKiernan and finished the game 30-28.

“We just didn’t take care of the ball enough in the first two games,” Ridolfi said. “We improved in the next two games and started to take care of the ball and it showed. When we take care of the ball we can do all right.”

Although the outlook was good for a Crimson victory, the team came out flat in the fifth game and Puerto Rico pulled out the victory.

After Harvard believed it had won the first point of the game, the Tarzanes (21-5) made a diving save and block to shift the momentum in its direction.

The Crimson gave up eight straight points to find itself with an insurmountable deficit.

But Harvard would not go down without a fight.

Creeping back point-by-point on two blocks and two kills, the Crimson narrowed the deficit to four at 8-4 and continued to battle to 14-11.

But in the short fifth game to 15, the early run by Puerto Rico-Mayaguez could not be overcome, and a kill off the Crimson block ended Harvard’s hope for its first victory.

“I think we had expended a lot of energy and a lot of spirit coming back in two games,” McKiernan said. “Maybe it’s a lot to ask to have to come back and play a five-game match and to have to use the same energy through the fifth game. I think we just lost it and ran out of steam.”

The Crimson spent the first frame warming up from its three-week break from play.

Falling behind 13-7, Harvard went on a 5-2 run to pull within three. But the team never got any closer, falling out of rhythm on its way to the 30-26 loss.

The second game did not bring improvement.

Puerto Rico-Mayaguez pulled out to a quick 5-0 lead, due to Crimson hitting errors and miscommunication.

Harvard battled to tie the game at 10 after an ace from junior John Freese, but the Tarzanes slowly pulled away and never looked back on their way to a 30-24 win.

“We had our chances to win both the first games at different points of the game,” Ridolfi said. “We just didn’t take care of the ball enough.”

—Staff writer Madeleine I. Shapiro can be reached at mshapiro@fas.harvard.edu.