Men's Volleyball Outlasts Princeton in Five Sets

Tied at two in the fifth and final set, senior outside hitter Nick Madden hit a decisive kill to give the Harvard men’s volleyball team (3-3, 2-0 EIVA) its first lead since the second set. The Crimson never looked back, taking the fifth game, 15-12, and defeating Princeton (0-5, 0-1) at home in five sets for the second year in a row.

“It was a great volleyball match all around,” Harvard coach Brian Baise said. “It’s a great rivalry. I think even more so for me because it’s my alma mater and I have a bit of history there. I like to see [Princeton] competing the way they do, but I obviously like to see our guys come out on top. I knew one of the teams was going to come up with the big plays, and we were that team tonight.”

Madden paced the Crimson attack with 17 kills over five sets. Junior middle blocker Caleb Zimmick added to the offense with a .571 hitting percentage and 13 kills. Freshman outside hitter Casey White and junior outside hitter DJ White also had double-digit kills, contributing 11 and 10, respectively.

Although it trailed early in the first set, Harvard rebounded to take the game, 25-20, after seizing a 14-11 lead on three consecutive kills by Madden, White, and Zimmick. In the second game, the Crimson held onto a tight lead before opening up a four-point advantage off three decisive kills by Zimmick to take the set, 25-21.

“We were able to move me around and mix it up a lot,” Zimmick said. “It really worked well.”

After sprinting out to a two-set lead, Harvard fell behind early in the third game. Although the Crimson rallied back to tie it up, 10-10, the Tigers regained the momentum with two convincing kills from senior outside hitter Pat Schwagler. Harvard later pulled within reach, shrinking Princeton’s lead to one, but a string of errors helped the Tigers close out the set, 25-20.

“We weren’t blocking well,” Zimmick said. “We struggled with some passing here and there. And [Princeton] had a couple of good serving runs.”

The momentum shifted entirely to the Tigers in the fourth set, when Princeton gained a 15-10 edge before pulling away with seven unanswered points. The Tigers continued to pile on the pressure and eventually evened the match at two sets apiece with a 25-12 win.

Errors plagued the Crimson defense, with half of the team’s total errors in the match occurring in the fourth set alone. Princeton’s offense also came alive with 13 kills in just 18 attempts, with sophomore outside hitter Devin Stearns leading the attack with five kills in the fourth. Freshman middle blocker Junior Oboh also added two aces during the Tigers’ 7-0 run in the middle of the set.

“[Princeton] was playing great,” Baise said. “They hit .600 in the fourth set. It’s very hard to win when they are playing that well.”

Despite the Tigers’ ferocious comeback, Harvard managed to regroup after the fourth set.

“We talked about the kind of team we want to be and the kind of team we need to be if we are going to achieve the goals we set for ourselves,” Baise said. “We thought we could make a few defensive plays and put a little pressure on them.”

The Crimson ultimately emerged victorious because it elevated its game in the fifth set. The team posted its highest hitting percentage of the match, with nine kills in 16 attempts. After a kill by Young put Harvard within a point of victory, the match ended abruptly on a Princeton service error.

“At the beginning of the year, we know we have to beat Princeton,” Zimmick said. “The win sets us up well. We showed resiliency and came back and worked hard to pull it out at the end.”