CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Harvard Men's Volleyball hits the road this week for a pair of matches in The Golden State. The Crimson will face UC Santa Barbara (4-11) on Tuesday at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT (ESPN+) before taking on nationally ranked Pepperdine (12-8) on Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT (Wavecasts).

What to Know

• Harvard snapped a four-match skid in early March, defeating St. Francis Brooklyn in five sets (25-19, 25-16, 22-25, 23-25, 15-3) and LIU in four (25-19, 25-23, 16-25, 25-22). Both contests took place at Malkin Athletic Center where the Crimson is 4-2 on the year.
• Zach Berty totaled 31 kills for the week, including a career-high 16 vs. St. Francis Brooklyn, while hitting .448. The first-year also added a team-high four service aces to go with 12 digs, including a personal-best 10 vs. the Terriers.
• Berty comes into the California trip having recorded at least 10 kills in a season-high four straight matches (12.8 kpm). In 14 contests this year, he has reached the double-digit kill plateau eight times.
• Junior Ethan Smith enjoyed a solid weekend vs. St. Francis Brooklyn and LIU, continuing a two-week stretch (four matches) where he has averaged 8.5 kills and 5.3 blocks. In the contest vs. the Terriers, Smith totaled seven kills, four blocks and two digs before matching his season high with 10 kills vs. the Sharks. The middle blocker also had six blocks vs. LIU, which was one shy of his season best, accomplished in the first match of this current four-match streak (at Princeton).
• The trip to California is a homecoming for six of Harvard's players. James Bardin (Aliso Viejo), Berty (Corona del Mar), Ethan McCrary (Mission Viejo), Kade McGovern (Burbank) and Smith (Laguna Nigel) all hail from Southern California. Brian Thomas, meanwhile, calls Northern California home (Moraga). Ryan Hong is also playing closer to his hometown of Honolulu, Hawaii.
• The Crimson is looking for its first series win vs. UC Santa Barbara having lost the previous five get-togethers. The last two matches vs. the Gauchos, however, went five sets (2017, 2019).
• UCSB dropped a pair of matches to fourth-ranked Long Beach State last week, losing in four sets at home on Friday and five on the road on Saturday.
• When Harvard faces Pepperdine in Malibu, the Crimson will be in search of its first win over the Waves in series history. Harvard is 0-4 vs. Pepperdine, with the last three contests ending in 3-1 scores. This will be the first matchup between the schools since 2020. 
• The Waves swept No. 10 USC last week, taking matches on Thursday (home) and Saturday (road) by 3-0 and 3-1 margins, respectively.

Up Next

Harvard returns to Malkin Athletic Center to take on Sacred Heart on Wednesday, March 22, at 7 p.m. ET (ESPN+). The Crimson defeated the Pioneers, 3-1, on the road in its season opener earlier this year.