CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Harvard women's volleyball concluded play at the Harvard Invitational with a 3-0 record following a pair of five set thrillers.
The Crimson opened the day by surviving a battle against the Merrimack Warriors before staging its own come from behind victory against New Hampshire after falling down 2-0. With the conclusion tournament play,
Rocky Aguirre,
Lindsey Zhang, and
Ryleigh Patterson were named to the all-tournament team following dominant weekends.
Harvard Survives 3-2 Battle Versus Merrimack
The Crimson picked up where it left off from the previous night, beginning the match by pulling out to a 9-5 lead over the Warriors. A strong middle portion of the set however, pulled Merrimack back into the opening frame. After trading several points, the Warriors used a 4-0 and 3-0 scoring run in the ladder moments of the set to grow a comfortable lead, ultimately moving up 1-0 with a 25-21 decision.
Harvard was able to bounce back in the following set, taking the frame narrowly, 25-23. Merrimack continued to hold some of its momentum in the early moments of the set, but a 3-0 scoring run gave Harvard a lead that it would never relinquish. Three of the Crimson final four points came courtesy of
Corinne Furey kills, solidifying the set at 25-23.
Despite an early 4-0 lead for the Warriors, the Crimson used its own 5-1 scoring run to even out the third set and continue its momentum in the match. Harvard grew its lead to as many as seven and finalized the set at 25-20 to pull ahead 2-1 in the match.
Not going away, Merrimack attacked early in the fourth set pulling ahead for an early 11-4 lead. Throughout the frame the Crimson pressured the Warriors but the opposition never let go of its lead, ultimately forcing a fifth set following a 25-20 decision.
From start to finish, Harvard held the control in the final set, quickly moving in front, 9-3. Strong defense and serving secured both the set and the match for the Crimson, finishing the fifth with a 15-7 result in favor of the home team.
Harvard Completes Comeback Over New Hampshire
The Wildcats seized momentum early in the match, cruising to a 25-10 first set victory over the Crimson.
UNH carried its strength into the second set, pulling ahead 7-2 following a 4-0 run. Harvard showed its fight by bringing the frame to a tie and eventually pulling into the lead but a late 8-1 run solidified the set at 25-19.
Down 2-0, the Crimson came alive in the third set, pulling ahead with several comfortable leads, reaching as high as a six-point difference. Any attempts to overtake the lead by UNH were halted by the Crimson all-around efforts until a 25-21 set result got Harvard on the board.
In hopes of keeping the match alive, Harvard pulled ahead early in the match beginning with a 7-3 lead and later pulling ahead by as many as six. Despite the distance, the Wildcats did not go away, even pulling out to a pair of their own one-point leads. However, Harvard buckled down late in the set and pulled out a 25-23 decision, concluding with a Patterson kill.
After forcing a fifth set, the Crimson carried its momentum into the final frame by striking first, pulling out to a 3-1 lead. The final set proved to be a back-and-forth affair as the two squads tied on six separate occasions before a 4-0 Crimson scoring run closed out the set, 15-11, and the match as a whole.
Harvard Highlights
- Rocky Aguirre was named to the all-tournament team after registering 11 kills, 109 assists, four aces, 25 digs, and six total blocks across three matches.
- With 109 assists, Aguirre moves past former teammate, Ashley Wang '24, and into 10th all-time in program history for career assists, totaling 1,115.
- Lindsey Zhang received all-tournament honors after leading the team in digs and aces with 41 and 6, respectively, in the three Crimson wins.
- Ryleigh Patterson opened her sophomore campaign with 21 kills and a .291 hitting percentage, along with two aces and 13 total blocks.
- Brynne Faltinsky posted identical kill totals in either match this weekend, setting a new career-high with 19 kills.
- Against the Warriors, Corinne Furey also reached double digit kills, registering 11 along with a pair of block assists and seven digs.
- In the second match of the day, Peyton Hollis appeared for the first time this season, recording 11 kills with a .226 hitting percentage.
- In her second career appearance, first-year Bennett Trubey collected seven kills on a .417 hitting percentage while also adding five block assists against the Wildcats.
- As a team this weekend, the Crimson recorded 150 kills and a .230 hitting percentage along with 23 aces, 164 digs, and 30 total blocks.
- The Crimson have now started its season 3-0 for the second straight year. Prior to its undefeated opening weekend last season the Crimson had not started 3-0 since 2001.
- With the win, Harvard remains undefeated against the Merrimack Warriors, improving to 4-0 all-time.
- In its series with the Wildcats, Harvard grows its lead to 16-11 following its come from behind victory this evening.
Harvard Invitational All-Tournament Team
Harvard
Rocky Aguirre
Lindsey Zhang
Ryleigh Patterson
New Hampshire
Hannah Serbousek
Avery LePore
Merrimack
Julz Carlat
Stonehill
Mia Berardino
Next Up
The Crimson will hit the road next weekend for the Art Carmichael Invitational hosted by University of Rhode Island. Harvard will open play against the host on Thursday, September 12 at 6:00 p.m. ET in Kingston, RI and on ESPN+. The following day, the Crimson will battle Stony Brook and Northern Illinois at 1:00 p.m. ET and 4:00 p.m. ET, respectively.
