CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — Harvard Men's Volleyball battled through a tightly contested, five-set match but ultimately fell to MIT on Friday, January 23, in a back-and-forth showdown between the two programs.
The Crimson jumped out to an early advantage, controlling the opening set behind strong serving and efficient offense. Harvard took the first set comfortably, gaining momentum as
Zach Berty delivered two service aces and five kills to help put pressure on the Engineers.
MIT responded in the second set, which turned into a point-for-point battle.
Quinn Bishop added two service aces to the board but neither team was able to pull away. The set extended past regulation before MIT narrowly claimed it, 27–25, to even the match.
Harvard regained its footing in the third set, mounting a steady offensive push while keeping MIT at arm's length throughout. The Crimson maintained a slim lead for much of the frame and closed out the set to move ahead 2–1 in the match.
In the fourth set, MIT seized control early and Harvard was unable to close the gap, allowing the Engineers to force a decisive fifth set. The final set proved challenging for the Crimson, as MIT built momentum and ultimately secured the match with a win in the tiebreaker.
Despite the result, Harvard turned in several strong individual performances and showed resilience throughout the five-set contest.
Harvard Highlights
Up Next
The Crimson will continue their home play on Friday, February 6th, against Merrimack College at 7:00 PM. They will host No. 8 BYU the next day, Saturday, February 7
th. Both games will stream on ESPN+.
