CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – The Harvard volleyball team (3-0) has opened the 2023 season with a 3-0 record for the first time since the 2001 season as the Crimson defeated UNH and Holy Cross on Saturday with scores of 3-2 and 3-0, respectively.  The Crimson were able to secure three victories at home at the Harvard Invitational, led by an exceptional day from Ashley Wang, who is the first ever Crimson student-athlete to post two triple-doubles in one day. 

As the no. 1 team at the tournament, Harvard had three athletes named to the Harvard Invite All-Tournament team. These athletes are Wang, Ariana White and Lindsey Zhang. 
 

Game 1 vs. UNH

The Wildcats got the day started, building up a lead in the first set. However, Harvard did not allow them to hold it for long, as the game was tied up at 11 early on. From there, the Crimson went on two four-point runs to win the first set 25-20.

Set two was a close battle from the first point, with the Crimson and Wildcats trading points all the way to 23, at which point UNH scored the next two to win the set 25-23 and tie the match up 1-1.

The third set of the match went similar to the second, with the Crimson attempting to make a push to come back from a deficit that ended 25-20, Wildcats, putting UNH up 2-1. Wang posted a triple double by the third set, making her tenth dig to add to her kills and assists already in the double digits.

In the fourth set of the match, Harvard took a strong lead early on. They held on for the length of the set, only allowing UNH to score 21 to bring the match to a 2-2 tie and force a fifth set.

The fifth and final set started with two five-point runs, first from the Wildcats, followed by the Crimson. It was close from there, with multiple long volleys going the way of the Crimson to ultimately give Harvard the 15-12 set victory and a 3-2 win in the match.

Highlights vs UNH

• Wang was an essential part of the Crimson's victory, posting a triple double with 12 kills, 25 assists and 18 digs. She made three blocks and served three aces as well. She was the team leader in assists and digs.
• White led the team in kills with a career-high 13, followed by Wang and Katie Vorhies with 12 and Ava Rauser joining them in double digits with 10.
• Behind Wang, Rocky Aguirre set up 25 assists and made 15 digs to post a double-double of her own. Zhang had 17 digs.
• Hannah Nguyen led the team in aces with four.
• Harvard now leads UNH 15-11 in the all-time series, continuing the trend from the past three matchups where the home team comes away with the victory.

Game 2 vs. Holy Cross

Harvard came into the final match of the Harvard Invite with momentum from Saturday's earlier win. They took the lead early in the first set with a boost from Wang's three aces in a row and never let go to coast to a 25-20 win in set one.
The second set was a back-and-forth battle that led to a close game in the twenties after some long volleys and skillful placement of kills from the Crimson team. The Crusaders pulled out the set win with a score of 25-21.
 Set three served up an advantage to the Crimson as they took a nine-point lead early in the contest. It was all Harvard from there as they finished the set up 25-17 to take a 2-1 lead in the match.
In the fourth set of the match, Harvard pulled ahead to build a five-point lead. Despite the Crusaders' efforts that brought it to a tie at 16, the Crimson pulled ahead in the final frame and won 25-21 to close out the match with a 3-1 victory.

Highlights vs Holy Cross

• Wang had another exceptional match, posting her second triple double of the day with 10 kills, 16 assists and 12 digs. She also set a career high in aces with nine.  This is the first time in Harvard history a student-athlete has posted two triple-doubles in one day. She is also currently the only division I athlete to score nine aces in one game so far this season.  
• Katie Vorhies was the leader in kills over Holy Cross, putting 15 balls out of the reach of the Crusaders.
• Harvard out-hit the Crusaders with a percentage of .199 over Holy Cross' .140.
• Aguirre and Wang were the leaders in assists for the second game of the day, setting up 19 and 16 balls for their teammates, respectively.
• Zhang led the team in digs with 17. She was followed by Wang's nine and Aguirre's eight.
• With today's win Harvard now leads Holy Cross 26-8 in the all-time series against the Crusaders.

Up Next

The Crimson will be on the road for the first time this season as they head to the Cleveland State Invitational from Friday, Sept. 8 to Saturday, Sept. 9. Harvard will play Akron, Cleveland State and Bucknell while spending time In the Buckeye State.