CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Harvard women's volleyball (7-4, 2-0 Ivy) began its weekend by sweeping Columbia (3-8, 0-2 Ivy) on its home court this evening.
How it Happened
The Lions came out of the gate strong, collecting the opening four points of the match. Harvard returned with its own run to halt the foes early push and begin to gain its momentum, eventually taking the lead. Columbia continued to hold steady through the middle portions of the set, pulling out to a 13-10 lead. Regrouping following a timeout, the Crimson used three straight points to even the score and begin to take control. Harvard then rode a 5-0 scoring run to create a comfortable distance, ultimately sealing the set at 25-22.
Looking to bounce back, the Lions again grew a slim lead early, but the Crimson quickly grabbed back its momentum. After taking an 8-7 advantage, the Crimson began to roll, pulling out to as many as five, being the first team to surpass 20. As the Lions continued to battle and grabbed its own lead late in the set, Harvard buckled down and collected the final five points of the set to move up 2-0.
While battling to remain in the match, Columbia opened the set with a three-point advantage. Despite the Lions holding their lead, the Crimson continued to pressure, tying the set on multiple occasions. Eventually, using a dominant 8-0 scoring run, Harvard took back all momentum in the match, never again relinquishing its lead. The Crimson gave the Lions no chance to claw back, collecting the final five points courtesy of five Harvard kills to solidify the set with a 25-15 result.
Harvard Highlights
- Ryleigh Patterson led the way for the Crimson, collecting 10 kills with a .409 hitting percentage, alongside a team-best two and a half total blocks.
- Rocky Aguirre was a constant presence throughout the night, adding four kills with a .500 hitting percentage, a team-best 32 assists, an ace, one and half total blocks, and eight digs.
- Ali Farquhar had a dominant night, collecting nine kills with zero errors for a .643 hitting percentage. The sophomore also added two total blocks on the night.
- Lindsey Zhang led the team in both aces and digs with two and 14 in either category.
- While collecting 42 kills, Harvard posted its highest hitting percentage of the season while hitting .278 across three sets.
- With the victory the Crimson extends its lead in the all-time series to 49-22 while also improving its winning streak over the Lions to three.
Next Up
The Crimson will close out its back-to-back weekend tomorrow against the Cornell Big Red (7-3, 1-0 Ivy). The match is set to begin at 5:00 p.m. inside the Malkin Athletic Center and on ESPN+.
