Harvard Edges Penn in Five-Set Match

After a 3-2 loss last night to Princeton, the Harvard women’s volleyball team (8-5, 1-2 Ivy) turned its weekend around with a 3-2 win over Penn (5-8, 1-2 Ivy). It was the second Ivy League match in as many days for the Crimson, who with the victory earned its first win in its conference schedule. Harvard downed the Quakers 25-21, 20-25, 25-21, 20-25 and 15-13 in its third consecutive five-set match against an Ancient Eight opponent.

After trading wins in the first four sets, with the Crimson taking the opening game, Harvard was finally able to come out on top in a tightly-contested fifth frame.

“We started out sloppily…but before the fifth [set], we knew we had the potential to beat them easily,” co-captain Christine Wu said. “We play with heart and soul … but we just had to take care of every single point.”

Despite taking the first set, the Crimson lost its momentum in the second, mustering only nine kills compared to its opponent’s 20. The discrepancy showed in the final score, as Harvard fell 20-25.

The Crimson bounced back in the third game, recording 13 kills, only to fall again in the fourth set to Penn, which refused to go down without a fight.

The teams were neck-in-neck in the decisive fifth set, but a match-high .417 hitting percentage gave Harvard the edge it needed to seal the victory.

Sophomores Kristen Casey and Natalie Doyle led the offensive effort, with Casey posting a team-high 19 saves and Doyle recording 44 assists. Wu bolstered the defensive with 26 digs, bringing her total to 46 on the weekend.