BOSTON – Harvard women's volleyball starts its season 3-0 for the third time in the past four seasons after a five-set victory (25-23, 21-25, 28-30, 26-24, 15-10) over Northeastern on Sunday afternoon at the Cabot Center.
How it Happened
Harvard took the first two points on a kill from Rossi and a block from the duo of Patterson and Nwabueze. The teams traded points and an ace from Egan saw the Crimson take an 8-5 lead. Harvard led 15-11 at the media timeout, but the Huskies grabbed a point out the break. Northeastern burned its first timeout after a kill from Farquhar put the Crimson up 20-16. NU regained momentum, climbing within two at 21-19 and 24-22 before a kill from Resmer ended the set 25-23 for Harvard.
The second set started with a block from the Huskies, but the Crimson responded with a 4-0 scoring run that was highlighted by kills from Rossi and Patterson along with blocks from Patterson, Nwabueze, and Farquhar. Kills from three different players and aces from
Jordan Shelor and
Catlin Shao eventually put Harvard up 11-4 as NU grabbed its first timeout. Northeastern rallied to get within one at 13-12 with the Crimson using its first timeout. The Huskies retook the lead during a 6-0 run that put them ahead 22-18. Harvard battled to trade points, but NU took the set 25-21.
Sophia Wei served up an ace to start set three, and Harvard got out to its largest lead at 6-2 after a block from Resmer and Nwabueze. Northeastern kept the pressure on as the teams went through six tie scores by the Crimson's timeout at 20-all. The Huskies went on a 3-0 run and led 23-20 before Harvard answered with three blocks and an ace, all from Rossi, Patterson, and Farquhar, to get set point at 24-23. NU answered with a kill, and both teams went through five set points until three straight kills from Northeastern finished the set at 30-28 for the Huskies.
Shelor served another ace to get Harvard on the board early in the fourth set, and the momentum continued as the Crimson led 16-13 at its first timeout. Nwabueze, Ogbechie, and Rossi added on the pressure with more kills, and the Huskies burned its second timeout down 21-16. Northeastern responded with a 5-0 run that brought the score to 23-22 in favor of Harvard, and another kill from NU locked a second deuce set at 24-all. Farquhar and Nwabueze rattled off back-to-back kills to win the set 26-24 for the Crimson and force the match-decider.
Patterson's second and third solo block of the afternoon gave Harvard the spark it needed to start the final set. An ace from Resmer gave the Crimson a 9-6 advantage and forced the Huskies to use up their first timeout. Although NU tacked on a few more points, Nwabueze tabbed her 12th kill for match point, and Shelor's fourth ace clinched the win 15-10.
Harvard Highlights
- Harvard finished the match with 62 kills, 58 assists, 72 digs, 12 aces, and 15 blocks on the night. Northeastern totaled 69 kills, 64 assists, 92 digs, 11 blocks, and six aces.
- Four different Crimson posted double-digit kills, with Sofia Rossi logging a team-high 16 to go along with her 11 digs, two aces, and one block.
- Kayla Nwabueze had 12 kills, Masina Ogbechie tabbed 11, and Ali Farquhar knocked down 10 on the afternoon.
- Ryleigh Patterson hit for seven kills and stuffed 12 blocks in the match, the most for her since she logged 15 against Dartmouth in 2023.
- Jordan Shelor served four aces in the game, bringing her total to seven for her first weekend of collegiate play. Riley Resmer (3), Sophia Wei (1), and Catlin Shao (1) added the other aces for Harvard.
- Yvette Easton dug a career-high 27 balls on Sunday, while Wei and Rossi each added 11.
Next Up
The Crimson travel to North Carolina for the UNCW Hampton Inn University Invitational, taking place at UNC Wilmington from Sept. 11-12. Harvard will face UNC Asheville and Norfolk State on Friday, Sept. 11, and take on host UNC Wilmington on Saturday, Sept. 12.
