Women's Volleyball Tops New Hampshire, 3-1

The Harvard women’s volleyball team (7-2) wrapped up its non-conference schedule with a win at Lundholm Gymnasium against the New Hampshire Wildcats (6-10). This victory marked a five-game win streak for the Crimson, as Harvard gets ready to start conference play in the Ivy League.

The Crimson was in danger of falling behind two sets to one. The team faced a 20-18 deficit in the third set after an attack error by Harvard sophomore Corie Bain and a service ace by New Hampshire’s sophomore Maggie Kenney.

However, the Crimson rattled off seven straight points to steal the third set by a score of 25-20. Sophomore Grace Weghorst played an instrumental role in this strong push by Harvard with four kills in the final six points of the set.

"Each game is a learning experience," Weghorst said. "Everyone knows their role [now]. We’re ready to go."

After the closely contended third set, the Crimson did not let New Hampshire back into the match. In the deciding fourth set, Harvard was able to keep the Wildcats at a safe distance, finishing off the match with a 25-16 victory in the final set.

The Crimson streaked to an early 12-3 lead. Although the Wildcats would close the gap to five at 18-13, Harvard finished strong. A kill by co-captain Caroline Walters from junior Hannah Schmidt proved to be the decisive point in the match.

"We did a good job going to a foreign environment and getting a win," Bain said.

Harvard did not waste any time easing into the match, winning the first set by a commanding score of 25-14. The Crimson played a very clean first set, only committing two errors compared to the Wildcats’ eight.

However, Harvard was not able to take the two-set lead, as New Hampshire came out stronger in the second frame. Coming off a solid performance in the Holly Young Invitational, the Wildcats managed to take the second set by a score of 25-22. But the Crimson would go on to regain the momentum and extend its win streak.

"The team played well," Weghorst said. "We came out and fought coming out in the first game. We lulled and played point for point in the second set which allowed them to come back into the match and tie it at one. But then we went back to playing our game and put it away."

Bain would lead the Crimson attack on the night. Last year’s unanimous Ivy League Rookie of the Year, Bain would go on to record a team high 13 kills, 18 digs, and 26 assists–good for her eighth triple-double of the year.

The Crimson also benefitted from a balanced attack on Wednesday night. Weghorst followed closely behind Bain with 12 kills of her own. Walters and junior Jennifer Shults each added eight kills.

Part of Harvard’s success rested upon its ability to play a clean game. The Crimson had a combined 14 errors on the night, seven of which the team committed in the second set, which Harvard would go on to lose.

After tonight’s victory, the Crimson is looking forward to Ivy League play and its first conference game against another New Hampshire based team, Dartmouth (9-2). Harvard has picked up strong wins against tough opponents throughout its non-conference slate.

The Crimson opened its 2014 campaign with a come-from-behind victory over then-undefeated Santa Clara. Harvard then added a staight-set win against Central Connecticut State to its record, before dropping back-to-back contests against Delaware and North Carolina State.

But following the two losses, the Crimson has shown no signs of slowing down with its five-straigh victories against non-conference foes.

The team hopes to carry the momentum that it has gained in non-conference play into contests against the Ancient Eight and improve on last year’s second place finish in the conference.

"I’m really confident about the team as we head into the Ivies," Bain said. "We are running a good offensive system and our defense is looking great. With this team, we’re all really good friends and the bonds are spectacular. But going into conference play there’s so many emotional ties in the Ivy League, which make things unpredictable, but I have confidence in this team to take care of business."