Men's Volleyball Drops Home Match to No. 15 Cal Baptist

Few men’s volleyball teams get the chance to play the No. 15 team in the nation. Fewer still get the opportunity twice.

But on Monday Harvard men’s volleyball (9-7, 5-2 Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association) eclipsed these feats, squaring off against a No. 15 opponent for the third time this season.

In mid-January the Crimson traveled to Muncie, Ind. to play No. 15 Ball State and lost, 3-1.

In mid-February Harvard redeemed that result by sweeping No. 15 Saint Francis at home.

Now in mid-March, the Crimson confronted the No. 15 program in the nation for a third time when it hosted California Baptist (10-13, 4-13 Mountain Pacific Sports Federation) at the Malkin Athletic Center.

Despite the extraordinary circumstances, the match result was perfectly pedestrian, as Harvard lost in four sets after taking the first frame.

“[Losses] obviously stink, and we don’t want to lose to any teams,” captain Branden Clemens said. “But if we keep playing well and keep doing well on our conference games, those won’t affect us too much…. Those losing experiences might end up teaching us something.”

The Crimson held a lead for much of the second game, including a 22-20 advantage with sophomore setter Marko Kostich serving. However, the Lancers closed on a 5-1 run to tie the game score and seize the momentum.

By the fourth set, the drama had diminished to the point that Cal Baptist could build a comfortable 21-14 lead. Harvard applied late pressure with a 4-0 run, but a timeout steadied the Lancers, allowing them to clinch the victory with a 25-21 set win.

Despite the defeat, sophomore outside hitter Brad Gretsch and outside hitter Clemens maintained a pair of impressive streaks.

In every match this year, Gretsch has recorded at least eight kills, and for the past eight games, Clemens has recorded at least 11. This production continued on Monday, as Gretsch led Harvard with 16 kills, and Clemens notched 14.

In the first frame, the Crimson won 10 of its 25 points off finishes by this duo. The two teams traded points until Harvard faced an 18-17 deficit, at which point the hosts won seven of the next eight points. A kill by Gretsch sealed the 25-20 victory.

Although the contest was a nonconference matchup, both teams shouldered heavy stakes at the outset. Harvard entered with a two-game winning streak and hopes of carrying good memories into a 12-day break. Meanwhile, the Lancers boasted an undefeated record outside league play.

Only Cal Baptist achieved its goal, as the visitors hit .389 compared to .342 by Harvard. Enrique Garcia led his team with 16 kills at an efficient .636 clip.

Less efficient was the serving percentage on both sides of the net. The Crimson committed 21 service errors, with six different players recording at least three mistakes. Similarly the Lancers missed 18 serves, and four players contributed at least three errors.

In the third frame, Cal Baptist never trailed after erasing a 6-5 deficit. The lead widened as play progressed, and the visitors used a .522 kill percentage to take the set from Harvard, 25-17. It was the largest set margin by either team on the night.

On the defensive end, the Lancers also proved dominant, rising up for 14 blocks. By contrast the Crimson tallied nine, led by four from middle blocker Trevor Dow.

For Harvard, Dow was a happy footnote to a disappointing result. The freshman finished with a .625 kill percentage, the eighth match this season in which he has eclipsed .556.

But individual performances could not prevent the Crimson from falling to 4-5 in nonconference play. From this point on, Harvard will exclusively face league foes, as the team aims to earn a spot in the four-team EIVA playoff in late April.

“This Cal Baptist game comes at a good time,” senior outside hitter Alec Schlossman said. “Getting a good match like that in before we get some time off for spring break definitely helps us evaluate where we are compared to where we want to be by April.”

—Staff writer Sam Danello can be reached at sam.danello@thecrimson.com.