CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – No. 20 Harvard men's volleyball (2-2, 0-0 EIVA) posted its second consecutive sweep as it defeated Merrimack (0-3, 0-0 NEC) this evening to improve to 2-2 on the year.

Logan Shepherd led the way for the Crimson with a team-best 12 kills on a strong .429 hitting percentage.  The senior captain also added two aces and a team-high seven digs as Harvard dropped the Warriors in three sets.

How it Happened

The Crimson struggled to find its footing in the opening points as the Warriors maintained a consistent multipoint advantage.  Merrimack grew its largest lead at 15-10, forcing a Crimson timeout.  Harvard came to life out of the break, using a 6-1 run to even up the score.  While the Warriors were able to take additionally leads throughout the remainder of the set the Crimson successfully shifted the momentum and closed the set with a 5-1 run for a 25-22 final result.

Merrimack continued its early set success in the second, grabbing the first three points and continuing to build a 6-3 advantage.  Following back-and-forth play, the Crimson broke a 14-all tie with a 3-0 scoring run.  Despite continued Warrior's pressure, Harvard would never relinquish its lead for the remainder of the frame.  The set was ultimately finalized at 25-18 as Harvard collected eight of the final 10 points including an ace from Sawyer Nichols for set point. 

Harvard carried its momentum into the final set, maintaining several early leads and extending its advantage out to as many as five with a lead of 12-7.  Even with the Warriors continuing to fight to keep the match alive Harvard never lost its overall lead.  One final kill from Sheperd concluded the match with a 25-20 third set result.

Harvard Highlights

• Logan Shepherd has led the team in kills in each of the first four matches of the season.  Tonight, he contributed 12 kills with a hitting percentage of .429, two aces, and a team-high seven digs.
• Miha Okorn added eight kills with a .462 hitting percentage and a pair of blocks in the match up. 
• Adrian Shevchuk appeared for the first time this season and led the way with 25 assists while also adding an ace, three digs, and a block. 
• Quinn Bishop had another strong performance from the service line, contributing a trio of aces on the night.
• As a team, the Crimson registered 29 kills while hitting .317. 
• The Crimson, who ranked second in the EIVA in aces per set coming into the match, totaled seven aces throughout the contest. 
• With the win, Harvard remains perfect against the Warriors, having won each of the five meetings between the two squads.  Additionally, the Crimson have never dropped a set to Merrimack. 

Next Up

Havard will return to action next weekend against Lincoln Memorial on Friday, January 31 at 7:00 p.m. as it hosts its annual, Harvard Invitational inside the Malkin Athletic Center.