Men's Volleyball Loses in Finale

Ducking out with a 3-0 loss to Stevens Tech, the Harvard men’s volleyball team wrapped up its season Saturday at Lavieties Pavilion.

Falling short of the EIVA playoffs, the Crimson’s season ended earlier than it had hoped, but Harvard was satisfied with an 11-6 record overall.

“I’m disappointed that we didn’t get to make playoffs,” co-captain Dave Fitz said. “I’m leaving this team without bringing them up to the next level, which was a goal of mine since I started. But we ended with a winning record, I had fun, I love the team, and it’s been the best thing I’ve ever done at Harvard, so I can’t complain.”

In the final match for seniors Fitz, Laurence Favrot, and Andy Nelson, Favrot registered 10 kills and six digs, while Fitz made 37 assists and tallied up five digs. Nelson, who played with an injured arm, still managed to pound out six kills.

“The seniors deserve a lot of credit,” Harvard coach Chris Ridolfi said. “They played very hard in the last match even though we couldn’t move on, so that shows great character and good leadership and sets a good example for our guys.”

The Crimson and the Ducks (33-6) traded points throughout the first game, racking up 13 ties before Stevens finally pulled ahead with a four-point run, taking the lead, 25-21. Favrot slammed down a kill to keep Harvard close, but the Ducks proved too powerful for the Crimson, notching a 30-25 win to open the match.

“I don’t think we really worked hard enough in games one and two,” coach Chris Ridolfi said. “We kind of coasted to 22-22 and let them kind of outwork us in the last eight points of both games.”

In the second game, Harvard and Stevens remained neck-and-neck, tallying hitting percentages of .323 and .500, respectively, as they kept the score close by exchanging points until the final moments of the game.

Junior Jordan Weitzen registered a kill to narrow the lead to 27-26, and freshman Gil Weintraub’s kill again brought the Crimson with one point of the Ducks, 28-27.

But the Crimson’s 22 hitting errors and 15 serving errors overall took a toll on Harvard’s chances of success, as the Ducks capitalized on these blunders to come out on top, taking the game, 30-27.

“We just made too many mistakes to compete today,” Ridolfi said. “We did everything marginally well, but I don’t think we did anything really well.”

In the third and final game, the Crimson went on a 2-0 run to grab an early lead, but Stevens snatched it away and never gave Harvard another chance to regain control. Taking off on a 7-1 run, the Ducks accrued an 11-5 lead over the Crimson that allowed them to sail to the win.

Sophomore Brady Weissbourd, who slammed down 10 kills overall, knocked out a hit toward the end of the match, narrowing Stevens’ lead, 25-21. But the Ducks took home the victory, 30- 27, concluding Harvard’s season with a final loss.

“We played hard in stretches, but we just kind of got sloppy in the 20s and in that last game, we all came out trying to do everything,” Fitz said. “Everybody tried to win the game themselves, and you can’t do that.”

Although the Crimson had hoped for more this season, it looks ahead to next year with high expectations.

“We’re two or three points away from continuing to play, so I think overall we’re disappointed, but not tragically, tragically disappointed,” Ridolfi said. “You know, 11-6, we’ll take it, it’s not bad, and we have a good core coming back, so we’re looking forward to next year.”

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