Harvard Notches First Undefeated Weekend

With junior parents weekend placing an extra number of supporters in the stands, the MAC proved even more welcoming for a Harvard men’s volleyball team that has thrived at home.

Entering Friday with all three of its wins coming in Cambridge, the Crimson (5-5, 2-1 EIVA Hay division) claimed its first undefeated weekend, with a sweep of Rutgers-Newark (6-7, 4-1) and NJIT (3-10, 0-7 EIVA Tait), moving into a second-place tie in conference play.

“It was a great weekend for us,” Harvard coach Brian Baise said. “We were able to score the points when we needed them, which is something we’ve struggled to do.”

Points indeed came at big moments for the Crimson, which labored through five sets to dispatch the league-leading Scarlet Raiders on Friday night, before cruising to a much more comfortable four set win over NJIT on Saturday.

HARVARD 3, NEW JERSEY INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY 1

The Crimson avoided a potential letdown after a tremendous victory on Friday night, demonstrating its focus early on to take the first two sets 30-26, 30-26.

“After a really big game, it’s easy to take a breath and slack off,” junior co-captain Gil Weintraub said. “Playing NJIT, which is a non-conference game, when they didn’t put in all their starters is kind of disheartening...But I was really proud of everybody, and they didn’t play like it meant less, because a victory is a victory.”

The Highlanders also seemed to take the match seriously, yelling raucously after every point won. But Harvard enjoyed the upper hand, relying on Weintraub’s crisp passing and the team’s solid outside hitting to close out the four-set victory with a 25-30, 30-18 split.

Senior co-captain Brady Weissbourd led the attack with a dominant all-around performance, posting a match-high 27 kills—bringing his weekend total to 55—to go along with 10 digs, five blocks and four service aces.

“Brady’s phenomenal,” Weintraub admired. “As long as I do my job right, it’s guaranteed he’ll do his. He’s just too good.”

Weissbourd carried the load for the Crimson down the stretch, using his 6’9 frame and solid timing to stifle opponents and hammer spikes, many of which went untouched through the Highlanders’ defense.

Harvard was not solely dependent on the senior, though, drawing from numerous offensive contributors to keep NJIT off-balance. Junior outside hitter Erik Kuld notched 16 kills, and freshman Matt Jones added 13. Weintraub spread 59 assists around, with sharp passes and no-look opportunities, preventing the Highlanders from mounting a serious comeback.

Baise was particularly pleased with the Crimson’s ability to shut the door on NJIT, after so many matches have gone five sets.

“Today was in some ways even better [than beating Rutgers],” he said. “We’ve struggled to close teams out...and tonight we lost our third [game], but turned it around in the fourth, reduced our errors, and served well. The serve was hopefully a turning point for us.”

Such optimism about improved play has begun to take root, as Harvard finds itself back in the race for a league title. In order to take this step, though, the Crimson must find equal success on the road.

HARVARD 3, RUTGERS-NEWARK 2

Friday evening’s contest brought more drama to the MAC, as the Crimson had to dig out of a 2-1 deficit to earn its second league victory. Weissbourd led all scorers with 28 kills, with Jones and Kuld totaling 14 and 13, respectively, off of Weintraub’s 57 helpers. Harvard began the match with a 30-27 win and opened a 3-0 second set lead, but sputtered, spotting the visitors a 24-30 second frame edge.

The Crimson mounted a comeback of its own in the third, erasing a nine point deficit to tie the score at 28, but suffered a 33-31 setback that put the match in jeopardy. But the host squad buckled down late and drew on strong hitting and a service ace by sophomore Shaun Mansour to force a decisive fifth set.

The final frame saw Weissbourd and Jones erupt on offense. The rookie hammered home four kills in a row to give Harvard a 9-3 cushion, while Weissbourd notched a kill and two blocks to close out the match, 15-12.

Jones hesitated to take much credit for the team’s clutch hitting, citing the importance of a quality setter.

“When Gil’s putting the ball right there, I just try to do what I can,” Jones said.

In reality, the Crimson’s offense seems to be clicking on all cylinders, and toppling the league leaders has opened the door for Harvard to compete for a meaningful post-season.

—Staff writer Max N. Brondfield can be reached at mbrondf@fas.harvard.edu.