CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Harvard women's volleyball (4-12, 3-5 Ivy) returned to the win column this evening, opening the second half of the Ivy League season with a 3-1 (22-25, 25-21, 25-9, 25-22) win over Dartmouth (5-13, 2-6 Ivy).

How it Happened

Neither team could take control to open the match, trading points early on in the set.  Harvard, however, took control following a 3-0 Big Green run.  The Crimson countered with a 5-1 run to lead 13-11.  Dartmouth stuck around and used a 5-0 run to pull back in front 18-17.  Although the Crimson held another lead in the set, the Big Green ultimately came out victorious, 25-22. 

The second set was another tight battle that saw 13 ties throughout.  The Big Green tied the contest for the final time at 21-21 following a 5-1 run but the remainder of the set was all Harvard.  The Crimson collected the final four points of the frame to win, 25-21. 

The home team carried its match-tying momentum into the third frame, pulling in front 12-4 and controlling the entirety of the set.  Harvard went on to hold the Big Green to single digit scoring, winning 25-9 to take a 2-1 lead in the match. 

Determined to force a fifth set, Dartmouth pulled ahead early, exploding to a 8-2 lead to begin the set.  The Crimson settled in, however, removing the Big Green's momentum and tying the set at 10-10.  Dartmouth pulled ahead several more times, including a 19-15 advantage, but Harvard never went away.  While winning six of the final eight points, the Crimson ended the match with a 25-22 fourth set decision. 

Harvard Highlights

• Sofia Rossi led the team's offensive effort, totaling 16 kills while hitting at a .382 clip.  The first-year had just three errors on 34 total attacks in four sets.  Rossi also contributed to three blocks in the contest to total a team-high 17.5 points. 
• Ryleigh Patterson had an all-around performance, tallying ten kills with an impressive .600 hitting percentage, seven blocks, two digs, and an ace. 
• Ali Farquhar flirted with double-digit kills, adding nine while also contributing to three blocks. 
• Brynne Faltinsky recorded seven kills in the contest and also added a team-best 12 digs.  Hanah Nguyen joined Faltinsky in leading the team in digs. 
• Sophia Wei had a team-best 25 assists while also contributing 10 digs and two aces. 
• As a team, the Crimson tallied 14 total blocks, led by seven from Patterson and six from Taylor Larkin. 
• The Crimson now leads 60-26 all-time against the Big Green and has won the last six matchups between the two squads. 

Next Up

The Crimson will remain home next weekend as it welcomes Columbia and Cornell to Cambridge on Friday, October 31 and Saturday, November 1, respectively.