After Topping Brown, Women's Volleyball Drops 3-0 Contest Against Yale

Harvard continued Ivy play on its home court this weekend, resulting in two completely opposite outcomes in the Crimson’s 3-0 win over Brown and then a 3-0 loss to Yale.

In the game against the Bears (4-10, 0-4 Ivy), the Crimson (5-11, 2-3) totaled its most blocks this season—15—en route to a three-set victory over Brown, 25-19, 25-12, 25-23.

The next night, Harvard was outplayed by the Bulldogs (9-5, 5-0), currently the top team in the Ancient Eight, by a score of 25-19, 25-18, 25-15.

YALE 3, HARVARD 0

The second set for Harvard seemed to be a chance for victory with a strong 9-1 lead, but Yale fought back and tied it at 13-13 before eventually winning the set, 25-18.

“They’re a team that doesn’t make a lot of mistakes,” junior right side Erin Cooney said. “I think that we could have taken advantage of that strong lead more, and it was tough to see us lose that lead. When we play [Yale] next, we know that they do have weaknesses, and we should take advantage of those next time.”

In the first set of the game, the Bulldogs came out gunning with 13 kills, and it was the Crimson who steadily came back to tie it up 14-14. Harvard eventually fell, 25-19.

“Yale is definitely one of the...scrappier teams we’ve played,” said freshman outside hitter Kathleen Wallace. “They have really good ball control and a faster pace.”

Despite the loss, Harvard’s back end stayed strong with 49 digs, more than it had the night before against Brown.

“Kristen Casey has just totally come into her own as libero,” co-captain setter Beth Kinsella said. “She and [junior defensive specialist] Natalie Doyle have this relentless pursuit for every ball. It really elevates the overall team play. They’re back there throwing their bodies on the floor.”

Cooney had six kills in the first set and finished the game with nine, tying with Wallace for the team lead.

Yale setter Kelly Johnson totaled a game-high 13 kills and helped the Bulldogs to a team kill percentage of .512 in the last set, which Yale took by double-digits, 25-15.

Harvard will not face the Bulldogs again until the end of its season, but the Crimson already has its sights set on the rematch.

“I cannot wait to beat Yale,” Cooney said. “We will, and I know we can.”

HARVARD 3, BROWN 0

Key to the sweep of Brown was the Crimson’s defense at the net. Harvard tallied 15 blocks in three sets.

“When you’re a hitter and you get blocked—that is the most demeaning thing that can happen to you,” Kinsella said. “So blocking someone else is better than getting a kill, better than getting an ace. It’s just the best feeling. We got so pumped up.”

Co-captain outside hitter Taylor Docter led the team with nine kills in the contest, and Wallace was not far behind with eight.

Sophomore outside hitter Kristen Casey and freshman setter Hannah Schmidt led the team with nine digs apiece.

At the start of the first set, the Bears seemed to have the upper hand with a 5-1 lead.

Harvard came back attacking, but it wasn’t until Wallace and freshman middle blocker Caroline Holte blocked the first ball of the game that the Crimson tied up the score, 6-6.

That block and a series of many more that put Harvard on the road to victory.

Holte tallied a career-best eight blocks—the most blocks in a three-set match for the Crimson since 2008.

Harvard led a steady offensive with a consistent 13 kills in each game.

In the second set, Harvard came out strong with a 4-0 lead.

Dominating from behind the back line, the Crimson totaled six service aces—four from Doyle.

For Harvard, the third set was not as easy a win as the first two. The Crimson had a six-point win streak in the middle of the match, but the game was otherwise very back and forth between the Crimson and Brown. Harvard ultimately managed a 25-21 victory.

“We can improve on working on the pace of our game,” Wallace said. “We can be a bit faster.”

A pair of errors by the Bears and a kill by sophomore middle blocker Caroline Walters sealed the Crimson’s second Ivy win.