BUFFALO, NY – Harvard men's volleyball (8-5, 3-1 EIVA) won its third straight and seventh in the last eight matches, by downing D'Youville (6-6, 1-5 NEC), 3-1, this afternoon. 

How it Happened

The Crimson opened the match by dropping the first set to the Saints, 20-25.  While the match stood at 6-6 early, D'Youville pulled ahead by as many as nine with several scoring runs to create distance.  Despite several attempted comebacks, the Saints were able to hold onto their lead to go up 1-0. 
 
Harvard began to stall its opponent's momentum by coming alive in the second set and pulling in front, 4-1, off of four early kills.  The Saints were eventually able to bring the set to a tie and ignite a trading of points throughout the middle of the match.  With the Crimson ahead by one at 14-13, a Logan Shepherd kill sparked a 5-0 run that allowed Harvard to create a sizable lead.  A pair of mistakes from its opponents allowed the Crimson to close out the set, 25-17, and bring the match to a tie. 
 
The Crimson once again started strong with a 4-1 lead but the Saints posted four straight points to take back the lead.  Following two short scoring runs from either team to open the set, neither squad scored more than two in a row until a Shepherd kill and an Owen Fanning ace closed out the Harvard 25-18 victory in the set. 
 
The Saints continued to battle against the Crimson, pulling ahead to several small leads to begin the fourth set.  With the Saints up 7-8, their own service ace ignited a 4-0 Crimson scoring run to give Harvard a lead that they would go on to never lose.  With the score at 11-9, a 9-1 Harvard scoring run cemented an irreversible deficit for the Saints.  A kill from Zach Berty ultimately sealed a dominant 25-14 decision in the final set and the match win for the Crimson. 

Harvard Highlights

• Three Crimson players reached double figure kills led by Ethan McCrary and Logan Shepherd with 11 each, followed by 10 from Zach Berty. 
• Making just his second appearance of the season, McCrary was a key performer for the Crimson with his 11 kills, a .733 hitting percentage, two digs, and a team-leading eight total blocks. 
• Along with his 11 kills, Shepherd registered three assists, a block, and a team-high 12 digs. 
• Four players recorded seven or more digs with Owen Fanning providing seven, Zach Berty and Quinn Bishop each with eight, and Shepherd's 12 to contribute to the team's 44 match total. 
• The Crimson 14 total team blocks marked the team's second highest total of the year, falling only behind its 20 against Charleston. 
• As a team, the Crimson registered a .303 hitting percentage while holding the Saints to a .080 hitting percentage. 
• The match up between the Crimson and the Saints, marks the first ever between the two schools with Harvard now holding a 1-0 advantage in the all-time series. 

Next Up

The Crimson will return to action on Friday, March 8 at 7:00 p.m. ET to face Merrimack College.  The match up will serve as rescheduled contest from the squads previously postponed match on January 7.