PRINCETON, N.J. – The Harvard men's volleyball team fought back from a one-set deficit, but could not complete its rally in falling at Princeton, 3-1 (16-25, 27-25, 24-26, 18-25), Friday night. The defeat dropped the Crimson to 4-7 on the season (0-3 EIVA), while the Tigers improved to 5-8 (1-2 EIVA).
How It Happened
- The Crimson was sluggish out of the gate, falling behind, 4-0, and never got closer than four points the rest of the set as the Tigers earned a 25-16 decision.
- Harvard opened the second frame by logging six of the set's first nine points, but Princeton leveled the score at 11 and eventually took a 14-11 lead. The teams found themselves deadlocked at 25, but a Logan Shepherd kill forced a Tigers timeout and Zach Berty put the final touches on the set with a service ace en route to a 27-25 Crimson victory.
- In the third set, neither team enjoyed a lead larger than two points. The score was tied, 24-24, but Princeton earned the 24th-26th points to pocket the 26-24 win.
- Like the first set, Harvard got behind early, surrendering the first three points before it earned a sideout. The Crimson chipped away and pulled ahead, 16-13, but an 8-0 Princeton run stunned the visitors and Harvard ultimately fell short, 25-18.
Harvard Highlights
- Zach Berty finished the match with a team-high 10 kills to record his fifth double-digit kills outing. He also tied Will Sorensen for the team lead with a pair of service aces.
- Ethan Smith had eight kills, his third-highest total of the season. The junior also led all players with seven blocks.
- Trevor Schultz logged eight kills, while adding one ace and four blocks.
- Logan Shepherd tallied a team-high nine digs.
- James Bardin had 30 assists with three kills, two blocks and five digs.
Up Next
Harvard will close out its road trip to The Garden State on Saturday when it faces Princeton to conclude its weekend series. First serve is slated for 5 p.m. ET and the contest will air live on ESPN+.
