Men's Volleyball Takes Down NYU, 3-1

Erik Kuld posted a season-high .488 hitting percentage with 26 kills (photo courtesy of Gil Talbot).

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. - The Harvard men's volleyball team defeated New York University, 3-1, Saturday evening at the Malkin Athletic Center (30-28, 28-30, 31-29, 30-22). After winning the first set, the Crimson dropped the second, but bounced back and picked up wins in the third and fourth sets to claim the match victory.

Senior Erik Kuld had a match-high 26 kills on 43 total attacks, good for a season-high .488 hitting percentage. He also tallied 10 digs. Sophomore Matt Jones recorded 22 kills and eight digs on the night. Freshman Rob Lothman handed out 61 assists in the four sets match.

In the first set, the visiting NYU Violet's (4-14, 0-5 EIVA Hay Division) tied the score twice but would never capture the lead. The Crimson (3-12, 3-1 EIVA Hay Division) offense had a 19-11 advantage in kills over NYU, and Senior Gil Weintraub tallied a kill, assisted by Lothman, to end the set.

The second set featured 10 ties and three lead changes. Harvard held the lead until a kill by NYU's Francis Hodgson sparked a 5-0 run for the visitors. Harvard was unable to regain the lead as NYU capitalized on Crimson errors and posted a 30-28 win to tie the match at 1-1.

The Crimson trailed for much of the third set but took a 27-26 lead after an 8-2 run, capped off by a kill from Kuld. The two teams battled for points to close out the set, but Harvard used an NYU service error and a kill from Kuld to claim the set, 31-29, and take a 2-1 lead in the match.  The fourth set remained close until a kill from Jones sparked a 6-2 Crimson run to bring the Harvard lead to four (23-19). The Harvard offense remained strong and three consecutive kills gave the home-team a 30-22 set victory.

The Crimson remain at home to host Emmanuel Tuesday evening in a non-conference match. First serve is scheduled for 7 p.m. in the Malkin Athletic Center.