LOS ANGELES, Calif. – Harvard men's volleyball opened their 2024 campaign tonight out west, dropping a hard-fought battle against No. 12 University of Southern California (USC), 1-3. 
 
The Crimson started its night strong by hanging neck-and-neck with the Trojans throughout the opening set.  Although USC grabbed the first two points of the contest, the Crimson never allowed the Trojans lead to grow larger than two throughout the entirety of the set.  Once tying the match at 14-all off a Logan Shepherd kill, the Crimson never let the set fall past a tie before ultimately taking the set.  A kill from James Bardin and a pair of attack errors by the Trojans aided a 3-0 scoring run to lift Harvard to a 25-22 first set victory. 
 
Harvard once again came out strong to open the second set, pulling out to a 3-1 lead.  The set remained even through the first 12 points until the Trojans went on a 7-0 scoring run to create distance from the Crimson.  Beginning with an Ethan Smith kill as the Crimson trailed 13-20, Harvard formed their own 5-0 run to bring the match back within three.  Ultimately, the Trojans were able to close out the set, 18-25, and bring the match to 1-1 tie through two sets. 
 
Throughout the early moments of the third set, the Trojans were able to take a 4-9 advantage over the Crimson.  A Zach Berty kill commenced relatively back-and-forth scoring throughout the remainder of the set.  Late in the match with the Trojans ahead six, a thread of a USC service error, a Logan Shepherd kill and a monster Berty ace put the Crimson within three.  Despite the comeback efforts from Harvard, USC was ultimately able to pull within one of taking the match, winning set three, 20-25. 
 
The Crimson showed its unwavering fight through the entirety of the final set, never allowing the Trojans to pull ahead by more than three.  It seemed with each USC point, Harvard was able to respond, proving their strength against one of the nation's top programs.  Although having the match tied up as late as 21-all, the Trojans were ultimately able to close out their victory with a 22-25 fourth set. 

Harvard Highlights

• Owen Woolbert looked strong in his first ever collegiate match, registering 11 kills with zero attack errors and a team-leading 84.6 hitting percentage.  The first-year also tallied three total blocks and four digs on the night.
• Zach Berty, who led the Crimson in kills last year, accumulated nine on the night while leading the team in digs with nine. 
• Picking up right where he left off as the overwhelming team leader in assists last year, James Bardin piled up 34 assists against the Trojans.  The junior joined Woolbert with a team-leading three total blocks and added seven digs. 
• Ethan Smith, who was named an EIVA Player to Watch alongside Bardin, had nine kills on a 53.8% hitting percentage. 
• The Crimson tallied six aces on the night coming from six different players. 
• By winning the first set over the Trojans, the Crimson gave the No. 12 nationally ranked team its first set loss of 2024. 

Next Up

The Crimson will return to action tomorrow against No. 18 CSUN at 9:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. PT in Northridge, Calif. and on ESPN+.