Men's Volleyball Falls Short in EIVA Finals

By the end of the night, every time Peter Russell went for an attack, it felt inevitable that it would garner another point for the Nittany Lions. Led by the junior outside hitter, Penn State defeated Harvard, 3-0, in the Crimson’s first ever EIVA finals appearance.

The Crimson’s loss to tournament host No. 14 Penn State (23-7, 13-1 EIVA) is only the second time Harvard (18-9, 10-4) has been swept by a conference opponent this season.

The matchup in the postseason finale marked the third time the Crimson and the Nittany Lions have met this year. During their two regular season meetings, each team won on its home court, with Penn State winning, 3-2, in the first meeting and Harvard winning, 3-0, at the Malkin Athletic Center. The trend continued in the playoffs as the home team came out on top once again.

With plenty of tape to study after their closely contested regular season games, both teams tried to make adjustments coming into the game based on what they thought the other squad’s strategy would be.

“I give Penn State a lot of credit,” co-captain and setter Rob Lothman said. “We spent a considerable amount of time game-planning them, and we thought we had them pegged. They came out and made a lot of adjustments we weren’t expecting, and that was the difference.”

Sophomore outside hitter DJ White and sophomore middle blocker Caleb Zimmick led the Crimson offense on the evening, and each was recognized for his postseason play by being named to the 2013 EIVA All-Tournament Team.

White had a team-high nine kills to go along with one dig and one block, while Zimmick posted a .714 hitting percentage on six kills.

Harvard stayed close to the Nittany Lions throughout most of the third set, bringing the score to 16-13 at one point. However, a 9-3 closing run by Penn State completed the sweep for the home team and gave the Nittany Lions their 15th straight EIVA title.

“It was not for a lack of effort that we lost tonight—Penn State just came out and played really well,” junior co-captain and opposite hitter Nick Madden said. “They served really well and passed really well, and I think serving at their place just made them really comfortable.”

Penn State’s offense was led by strong performances from the Russell brothers. Peter Russell finished with an outstanding 14 kills on a .875 hitting percentage. Not to be outdone, Aaron Russell tallied 10 kills, eight digs, and three blocks.

The first set was back-and-forth to start, as Harvard was able to hang with the Nittany Lions, 16-13. But two 3-0 runs by the Nittany Lions down the stretch gave them the set, 25-16.

With Penn State’s offense clicking, the Crimson’s two captains led the defensive effort for the visiting squad. Madden finished with a team-high six digs to go along with six kills and one block. Lothman, meanwhile, handed out 25 assists and added five digs.

The second stanza went much the same way as the first for the Crimson, as it was able to stick around early before falling once again, 25-16.

Harvard’s biggest weakness on the night was its blocking, as the Crimson failed to record a block until the final set. And while Harvard did tally a few blocks in the third, it was too little, too late.

“They played really well in every facet of the game,” Lothman said. “On our side, I thought our blocking lagged a lot throughout the match. It is really hard to beat a team if you can’t stop them at the net.”

The first finals appearance for the Crimson in the EIVA final also marked the last game for the three seniors on the team: Lothman, setter Derek Jansma, and middle blocker Dan Martin. Lothman ends his career as the all-time assists leader in Harvard history with 3,043 over his four years.

Yet, as Lothman was quick to point out, the Crimson’s continuing rise in the EIVA was the season’s biggest story line and the biggest takeaway from the game. Just last season, Harvard made the EIVA postseason for the first time. Now, this year’s team has one-upped that feat by winning the program’s first postseason match.

“I think we have proven that we are here to stay,” Lothman said. “Last year it was just getting to the playoffs, and this year it was winning a game in the playoffs. Hopefully next year we can take another step and win two games in the playoffs and the championship.”