CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Harvard men's volleyball team (2-4, 0-0 EIVA) wrapped up its Invitational with a loss against Purdue Fort Wayne on Saturday evening at the Malkin Athletic Center. The Crimson battled through three closely contested sets but ultimately fell to the Mastodons, with set scores of 23-25, 22-25, and 28-30. Junior
Zach Berty led Harvard with an impressive performance, recording a career-high 10 kills and a .450 hitting percentage.
How it Happened
The Mastodons opened the first set with strong momentum, building an early 6-2 lead and later extending it to 9-4. Harvard battled back, narrowing the deficit to one point at 17-18 after a three-point run. The set was tied at 20-20 before Purdue Fort Wayne pulled ahead with three points of their own. Harvard responded with two points, including a service ace by
Logan Shepherd, but the Mastodons clinched the set, 25-23.
Purdue Fort Wayne maintained control early in the second set, taking a 7-4 lead. Harvard chipped away at the deficit, with two kills from
Zach Berty bringing the score to 7-8. The Crimson later gained an 18-15 advantage, highlighted by a service ace from
James Bardin and a kill by
Logan Shepherd. However, the Mastodons rallied to tie the set at 19-19 and closed it out, 25-22.
Harvard came out strong in the final set, securing an early 7-6 lead. The Mastodons responded with a two-point run, but a kill from
Brian Thomas tied the score at 8-8. The teams traded points throughout the set, with ties at 12-12, 15-15, and 20-20. Harvard held a late 23-21 advantage following kills by
Owen Fanning and
Brian Thomas, but Purdue Fort Wayne came back to tie at 23-23. Despite a kill from
Sawyer Nichols to keep the Crimson in the match at 25-25, the Mastodons edged out a win, 30-28.
Harvard Highlights
- Junior Zach Berty posted a career-high of 10 kills with a .450 hitting percentage. He also added a service ace and three digs to his performance.
- Senior Owen Fanning was strong at the net, posting .750 hitting percentage with three kills and one block.
- Junior Brian Thomas made five kills with a .556 hitting percentage, along with one service ace and three digs.
- Sophomore Owen Woolbert contributed two kills with a .333 hitting percentage.
- First-years Sawyer Nichols and Thomas Phung held their ground on defense, each making four digs apiece.
