CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Concluding the Harvard Invitational in its season-opening weekend, the Harvard women's volleyball team (1-2, 0-0) split its final two contests of the tournament today, Sept. 4. The Crimson closed out the night with a 3-1 victory over Merrimack, after falling to Austin Peay in three sets earlier in the day. Following the tournament, sophomore
Katie Vorhies was named to the All-Tournament Team for her strong contributions throughout the Invitational.
Harvard vs. Austin Peay
The Crimson dropped a 3-0 decision to Austin Peay in its first match of the day. Harvard fell by set scores of 16-25, 15-25 and 15-25. For the second-straight match, sophomore
Katie Vorhies helped lead the Crimson's attack, recording a team-high eight kills and .263 hitting percentage. Adding to the Crimson's offensive efforts, junior
Jaimie Rao posted seven kills and first-year
Corinne Furey added six. Sophomore
Ashley Wang handed out 12 assists to lead the team.
Defensively, sophomore
Olivia Cooper dominated at the net, tallying five total blocks and three block solos. It was a team effort in the backcourt, with first-year
Lindsey Zhang leading the way with nine digs and sophomore
Bella Almanza and Vorhies following closely behind with eight apiece.
Harvard vs. Merrimack
The Crimson concluded the Harvard Invitational on a high note with a strong 3-1 win over Merrimack to close out the day. Harvard topped the Warriors by set scores of 28-26, 25-18, 24-26 and 25-14. For the third consecutive match,
Jaimie Rao and
Katie Vorhies powered the Crimson's offensive, each contributing 16 kills apiece.
Ashley Wang joined the duo in double-digits, setting a new career-high 13 kills. Wang tallied just two errors to hit at a team-high .478 clip. Wang added a double-double to her tally, dishing out 23 assists while first-year
Rocky Aguirre posted a team-best 24.
In the backcourt,
Lindsey Zhang led the way defensively with 15 digs.
Corinne Furey and Vorhies each added 13 digs as well, giving Vorhies her first double-double of her career. Adding to Harvard's dominant defense,
Olivia Cooper posted five blocks at the net.
Harvard Highlights
- Vorhies and Wang each recorded their first career double-doubles.
- Three Crimson players tallied three service aces each, including Aguirre, Cooper and Wang.
- Harvard posted a .315 team hitting percentage, while holding Merrimack to a .169 clip.
- The Crimson outblocked the Warriors 12-2.
Up Next
The Crimson will head down the road for the Northeastern Tournament, Sept. 10-11. Harvard will match up against Bryant on Friday, Sept. 10 at 3 p.m., before facing Villanova at 3 p.m. and Northeastern at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 11.
