HANOVER, NH – Harvard women's volleyball (9-8, 4-4 Ivy) got back into the win column this evening by dropping Dartmouth (9-9, 2-6 Ivy), 3-1.
The Crimson were led by three players with double digit kills and a near-career best 21 digs from
Lindsey Zhang as she surpassed the career milestone of 1,000 digs.
How it Happened
Looking to start out on the right foot, the Crimson were able to create a quick 3-0 lead to open the match. While a back-and-forth battle ensued, Harvard was able to control the lead through the first half of the frame, notching a 10-8 advantage on the back of three early
Peyton Hollis kills. Harvard then used a 3-0 run to force a Dartmouth timeout and create its largest lead of the set at four. While the Big Green were able to lessen the deficit and eventually tie the contest the Crimson were ultimately able to solidify the set at 25-22 following three straight Harvard kills courtesy of
Ryleigh Patterson and
Brynne Faltinsky.
Looking to even the score, Dartmouth grabbed an early 8-4 advantage over the Crimson. Following the Big Green maintaining a four-point lead at 14-10, Harvard then came to life, using a 6-0 scoring run to overtake the set at 16-14. While the Crimson continued to hold its lead at 20-17, a 3-0 Big Green swing brought the frame back to even. Following a timeout, the Crimson were able to halt Dartmouth's momentum and post an identical 25-22 frame to move up 2-0 in the match.
The first half of the set provided a back-and-forth battle, as either team took turns holding advantages. Using a 6-2 swing, the Big Green were able to create a three-point difference, snagging a lead it would never again relinquish. In the end, Dartmouth was able to hold off a sweep, taking the third set, 25-19. In the set however, Zhang, recorded her 13
th dig of the night to surpass 1,000 career digs.
After a 10-10 tie to open the fourth set, the Crimson used a 4-0 run to gain distance from the Big Green and retake all momentum in the match. Dartmouth was not able to pull within less than two points for the remainder of the match as Harvard continued to capitalize on its lead. With a 3-0 run led by two final Faltinsky kills, the Crimson solidified the final set at 25-18.
Harvard Highlights
- Lindsey Zhang led the Crimson on the defensive end, posting a near career-best 21 digs. After collecting her 13th dig, the senior officially surpassed the career milestone of 1,000 digs.
- Three Crimson athletes recorded double digit kills led by 18 and a .378 hitting percentage from Brynne Faltinsky.
- Rocky Aguirre posted a double-double, collecting 42 assists, 14 digs, and five kills while hitting .300.
- Patterson, Bennett Trubey, and Corinne Furey all helped lead the defensive charge with 2.5 total blocks each.
- As a team, the Crimson registered its highest hitting percentage of the season at .279 while recording 55 kills.
- The Crimson recorded double digit total blocks for the sixth time this season with its 10 this evening.
- With the win, the Crimson extend its winning streak over the Big Green to four and improve to 58-26 in the all-time series.
Next Up
While remaining on the road, the Crimson will return to a back-to-back schedule next weekend, traveling to Cornell (10-6, 4-3 Ivy) and Columbia (3-13, 0-7 Ivy) on Friday, November 1 at 7:00 p.m. ET and Saturday, November 2 at 6:00 p.m. ET, respectively.
