Harvard Suffers Trio of Losses in Golden State

Earlier this week, the Harvard men’s volleyball team (7-8, 0-3 EIVA) traveled to the West Coast to face California State Northridge (5-15), Pepperdine University (7-11), and the University of Southern California (15-1).

The Crimson had known going in that it was to face some stiff competition, as USC is currently ranked No. 1 in the country and Pepperdine is No. 13. Unsurprisingly, the road trip was tough on the Crimson, which lost all three matches and has now lost seven of its last eight.

Inconsistency has plagued the Crimson so far this year and is something that it hopes to improve upon going into EIVA play in the season's final stretch.

“Consisitency is where we struggle,” Harvard coach Brian Baise said. “When we play well, we can really compete with teams at any level. We tend to give up points and streaks that really hurt us. We can’t do that in second half of league play.”

UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA 3, HARVARD 1

What was perhaps the Crimson’s most impressive performance of the week came Wednesday night, when it faced the best men’s volleyball squad in the country: the Trojans of Southern California.

Though USC primarily played its backups throughout the match, Harvard was able to put together a solid performance and avoid a sweep. Ultimately, the Crimson fell by scores of 25-19, 25-23, 22-25, 25-16.

“[The match against USC] was our best match,” Baise said. “Our ball control was much better, our defense blocked well, and I’m happy with how we served. It was a great way to end the week.”

PEPPERDINE 3, HARVARD 0

A day prior, Harvard faced a daunting opponent in the Waves. Pepperdine did not take the Crimson lightly, as it played its top players throughout the match. Ultimately, Harvard fell to the No. 13 Waves, 25-14, 25-13, 25-15.

Pepperdine held a significant height advantage in Tuesday’s match. The Waves boast a roster containing six players who are as tall or taller than Harvard’s tallest player-freshman outside hitter Michael Owen, who stands at 6'7". Members of the Crimson pointed to the height disparity as a key factor in the match.

“They were physically dominant,” said freshman middle blocker Kyle Rehkemper. “Their size was just too much for us to handle with blocking.”

Rehkemper had a strong performance against the Waves, leading the Crimson with 10 kills and a .533 attack percentage. The freshman attributed his success to the speed of his play.

“I tried to be fast on the ball and beat the bigger guys that way, by being quicker than them,” Rehkemper said.

CALIFORNIA STATE NORTHRIDGE 3, HARVARD 0

In its first game of the Golden State trip, Harvard fell to the Matadors, 3-0. CSU Northridge dominated the opening set of the match, leading Harvard from the opening point. Though happy with the rest of the match, members of the Crimson pointed to the travel to California as a reason for their stagnant first set.

“We came out a little flat,” Rehkemper said. “We were all pretty jet-lagged from the trip. Aside from that, i thought we played pretty well.”

The Crimson’s Matt Jones led all players with 14 kills and added a pair of service aces. Despite Jones’s performance, CSU Northridge registered as many kills as Harvard – each team finished the match with 37. The Crimson was defeated by scores of 25-16, 25-20, and 25-17.

Jones has been a major contributor for Harvard all season long and was especially key for Harvard matched up against taller, stronger West Coast teams.

Coach Baise also suggested that the junior outside hitter’s impact is even greater than his impressive stats may suggest.

“[Jones] plays with as much intensity, determination, and focus as anyone out there,” Baise said. “Not a point goes by that he doesn’t give 100 percent. His attitude carries over to the other players; they follow his lead.”

Regardless of the results, the junior from La Jolla, Calif., said that the late-season road trip was helpful for the Crimson.

“Despite how strong the team was on the other side, we played well.” Jones said. “Especially against USC, you may not call it a win, but it was one of our most productive matches. If we put the same fire and focus in the games back in our league, I think we’ll have success.”