Harvard rallied to take the third set in a 3-1 loss to Dartmouth (Gil Talbot).

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – The Harvard women's volleyball team rallied from 2-0 down to grab the third set, but conference rival Dartmouth proved too tough as the Big Green took a 3-1 win Friday night at the Malkin Athletic Center. Harvard drops to 3-11 and 0-2 in the conference with the loss while Dartmouth ups its conference record to 2-0 and its overall mark to 11-2.  

Dartmouth jumped out to an early 6-3 lead to start the opening set, but the Crimson stayed close on the strength of nine kills in the opening set. Olivia Staffon recorded a key ace to bring the score to 20-19, but the Big Green took advantage of some Harvard hitting miscues to close out the opening set, 25-20.

The Big Green started the second set where it left off, jumping out to an 11-4 lead, forcing the Crimson to take a timeout. The hosts clawed their way back and got to within 16-15 thanks to a series of served from Taylor Docter, but the Big Green put together a streak of its own to extend the lead to 20-15 late in the set. Anne Carroll Ingersoll picked up a kill to make it 20-16, but Dartmouth captured the next five points and the second set, 25-16.

The third saw both teams stay tight through the midpoint of the set, with the Crimson maintaining a slim lead. With a 19-16 lead, the Big Green evened the score by taking the next three points. Harvard answered back, however, and with a clutch block by Teresa Skelly and Ingersoll and akill by Ingersoll, the Crimson closed the third, 25-22.

The Crimson picked up the first point but strong hitting from the guests pushed them out to a 9-4 lead. The Big Green continued to serve effectively and took a 20-13 lead late, leading to a 25- 16 set win.

Ingersoll led the Crimson with 10 kills while Skelly chipped in eight to go along with a team-high four blocks on the night. Beth Kinsella registered 16 assists on the night and libero Christine Wu had 15 digs. Madeline Baird had 16 kills for the guests, while Elisa Scudder added 11 and Kelsey Johnson had 10. Amber Bryant had 25 digs and Kendall Houston recorded 37 assists.

Harvard continues its three-match homestand next weekend as it takes on Columbia Friday and Cornell Saturday. Friday's match is slated to begin at 7 p.m., while action will start Saturday at 6 p.m.