Men's Volleyball Wins Third Straight

Better late than never.

After faltering in the first game against Vassar, 30-23, trouble appeared to be brewing for the Harvard men’s volleyball team. But the Crimson (3-2, 2-2 Hay) knocked out three straight wins to overcome the Brewers (4-6, 0-4), taking Saturday’s match, 3-1 (23-30, 30-26, 30-26, 30-21) at Kenyon Hall.

“For Vassar, one of the big goals of the season was to beat Harvard, and they came out really ready to play, fired up, and they took it to us the first game,” freshman Gil Weintraub said. “But once we got in the rhythm of things, we got going and took them out of their game, and it went pretty easily.”

Harvard thwarted Vassar’s offense by quicky adapting to the Brewers’ fast-paced style.

“We started out slow,” Crimson coach Chris Ridolfi said. “Vassar plays kind of a different style of offense than we’re used to seeing, and we had trouble taking care of that in the first game. They played the game a little faster and more frantic than we’re used to.”

The Brewers dominated the first game from the start, shooting ahead to a six-point lead before Harvard managed to score a single point. After falling so far behind, the Crimson failed to close the gap, and Vassar remained ahead by five points or more throughout the game, trumping Harvard, 30-23.

In the second game, the Brewers maintained their momentum and jumped ahead to a 15-7 lead over the Crimson.

But Harvard quickly turned it around, as a kill from sophomore Brady Weissbourd followed by his strong serving sparked a five-point burst to bring the Crimson ahead, 24-23.

“We were able to bounce back from it in the second game and get control of the match at one point and keep control of it,” Ridolfi said. “After a few adjustments, we were okay. We needed to find control on our side of the net, just with our team, small things that we were able to do. Brady went on a little spree serving, and once we got the tie, we were able to take the air out of their tires.”

Boosting Harvard’s lead, co-captain Laurence Favrot and senior Andy Nelson, who led the Crimson with 17 and 15 kills, respectively, each made two kills near the end of the game, cementing the victory for the Crimson, 30-26.

In the third game, Vassar and Harvard kept an even pace, tying the game at 14 points. With a hitting percentage of .312 and .300 for the Crimson and the Brewers, respectively, the score remained close throughout.

But Harvard again pulled ahead with Weissbourd’s solid serving performance, carrying the Crimson to the top, 21-16. Although a string of Harvard errors allowed Vassar to narrow the gap, 22-21, the Crimson stayed in control, overcoming the Brewers, 30-26.

Maintaining its offensive rhythm while Vassar lost focus, the Crimson took a 7-2 lead in the fourth game, setting the tone for its big finish. Committing a series of errors, the Brewers charted a remarkably low hitting percentage of -.031 that proved to be no match for Harvard’s .314 percentage.

“Once we got rolling, they really couldn’t stop our offense,” Weintraub said. “They started messing up on their serves, and in the fourth game, they were making desperate attempts. They had their backs against the wall. It wasn’t the game they started out with.”

Vassar made an effort to come back, but the Crimson’s 10-5 run left the Brewers with no hope of victory, clinching it for Harvard, 30-21.

The Crimson’s solid individual performances contributed greatly to its ultimate victory. Junior Jordan Weitzen slammed 12 kills, and Weissbourd tallied 10, while co-captain Dave Fitz dished out 50 assists and added five digs.

“We had four guys in double-digit kills, which is really good,” Ridolfi said. “And Fitz is spreading the ball around.”

Hoping to continue these performances on its home court, the Crimson will take on Rivier at the Malkin Athletic Center tomorrow night.

—Staff writer Courtney D. Skinner can be reached at cskinner@fas.harvard.edu.