PROVIDENCE, RI – Harvard women's volleyball (10-10, 5-6 Ivy) dropped its weekend opening battle to Brown (8-13, 5-6 Ivy) this evening, 3-1.
How it Happened
The Crimson came out of the gate hot, forcing a Brown timeout after cruising to a 9-3 lead. Following the break, the two squads entered a back-and-forth affair. As the Bears began to find some energy the Crimson continued to hold a significant advantage. Harvard's resilience was apparent as it halted every Brown attempted run, never allowing its lead to fall below four. Harvard was ultimately able to control the remainder of the set, moving up 1-0 following a 25-18 result.
Neither team could create any several point advantages early until the Bears went on a 5-1 scoring run to go up 9-6. Brown utilized another 4-0 to grow its lead out to 13-7. The distance proved to be enough to sway Harvard's early match momentum as the Crimson were not able to push the deficit past three points. Brown eventually evened the match by reversing the result and taking the second set, 25-18.
Brown carried their moment into the early moments of the third set, racing out to a 10-2 lead. Harvard looked to claw back into the set as it went on a 6-0 run to pull within five but Brown's first push proved too large for the Crimson to challenge for the frame. In the end, the Bears moved up 2-1 in the match following a 25-14 third.
Looking to extend the match to a fifth set, Harvard ran out to a 6-2 lead to begin the next frame. Following an 11-8 Harvard lead and a Brown timeout, the home team came alive to take the lead on the back of a 6-1 scoring run. The Bear were the first to reach 20 points, holding a multipoint advantage at 21-18. The Crimson showed its fight, using a 4-0 to bring the match back to even and eventually overtake the lead at 22-21. Unfortunately, the Crimson come back fell short as the Bears were able to solidify the final set at 25-23.
Harvard Highlights
- Brynne Faltinsky posted a double-double for the Crimson, registering a team-high 13 kills while also adding 12 digs.
- Rocky Aguirre also recorded a double-double, contributing 30 assists and 10 digs on the night.
- Lindsey Zhang rounded out the trio of double digit dig recorders for the Crimson, adding a team-high 14 digs.
- Ryleigh Patterson added six kills and a team-high four total blocks with two solo stops and four block assists.
- Peyton Hollis had a strong night, contributing 10 kills and 1.5 total blocks.
Next Up
The Crimson will wrap up its regular season away slate tomorrow as it meets Yale at 6:00 p.m. in New Haven, Conn. and on ESPN+.
