Men's Volleyball Heads to Playoffs with Pair Of Wins

Stuck in a tie for fourth at the start of the weekend, the Harvard men’s volleyball team faced all kinds of playoff scenarios as it angled to outcompete a crowded EIVA field and make the final four-team tournament.

In the end, all the different what-ifs reduced to a simple dichotomy: Win two matches, or leave empty-handed.

At home, playing in front of a crowd of students, alumni, and parents, the Crimson (13-10, 9-5 EIVA) did not leave empty-handed. With victories over Princeton and NJIT, Harvard secured third place in the conference and clinched a playoff spot.

HARVARD 3, NJIT 1

Late in the fourth set last Saturday, sophomore setter Marko Kostich strode to the back of the court, the ball in his hands.

Above him glared a neon red scoreboard: 19-19. As he spun the ball, breathed, and hurtled to the line, the hush of the crowd signaled the gravity of the moment.

Only six points separated the Crimson from a doomsday, all-bets-are-off tiebreaker. For a team that had gone up 2-0 and needed a victory to extend its season, a fifth set was not an attractive possibility.

Kostich’s first jump serve landed in the court. So did his second, third, fourth, fifth, and sixth.

“Coach’s philosophy is that you have to get the first serve in,” Kostich said. “I was pretty nervous the first serve, but the other ones felt more natural.”

With each point victory, the Malkin Athletic Center grew louder. The bleachers rumbled when a kill by captain Branden Clemens pushed the score to 23-19 and threatened to collapse when Kostich recorded an ace on the next point.

Then, at 24-19, with all players and spectators on their feet, a finish by junior outside hitter Casey White sent the place berserk—and Harvard to the playoffs.

“I felt really comfortable with [Marko] at the service line,” Clemens said. “I felt that everything was going to work out.”

Heading into the final set, the Crimson needed to regroup after a mistake-marred third frame. Poor passing and late service errors by Kostich and White had dogged Harvard, resulting in a 25-20 defeat.

The fourth frame started no better, as the Highlanders (8-18, 7-7) shot to a 10-6 lead. But Clemens sparked a comeback, recording three straight kills as part of a 5-0 streak to regain the lead.

On the afternoon, Clemens topped all scorers with 18 kills, and White added 11. Meanwhile Harvard held Jabarry Goodridge, the most lethal player in the EIVA, to nine kills and a .031 hitting percentage—his lowest totals of the season.

Much of the credit went to a defense that recorded 11.5 blocks, including two in the final seven points.

This defense helped the Crimson sail through the opening games. Harvard never trailed in the first two sets, which the team won by scores of 25-19 and 25-17.

HARVARD 3, PRINCETON 0

Ruckus broke out midway through the second set this Friday when Kostich and sophomore outside hitter Brad Gretsch rose for a block to stretch the Crimson’s lead to 16-9.

That rejection capped a remarkable 9-0 run on the strength of Clemens’ serve. Two times Princeton had called a timeout to stem the damage—and two times Harvard had responding by winning the next point.

Against the Tigers, not even stoppages of play could derail the playoff-bound Crimson. Harvard outhit Princeton (4-18, 4-10) by .323, and the hosts sped through a clean sweep.

“We played with energy,” Kostich said. “More specifically we stayed level.”

On senior night, two old hands proved especially effective, as Clemens and Schlossman combined for 19 kills on 28 attacks. The defense added 10 blocks.

Everything came together during the third frame, which the Crimson led wire-to-wire. In the 25-18 set, Harvard sported a .474 kill rate while limiting the Tigers to a .069 mark—the widest margin of the match.

The first set was less lopsided—at least for the first eight points. Then a Kostich service run created separation, and the Crimson ran away with a 25-17 victory.

Similar dynamics prevailed in the second frame, although in this case it was Clemens rather than Kostich leading the service charge. After the nine-point outburst, Harvard dug in to claim the 25-18 win.

“We came out with a sense of urgency, especially after talking as a team in the locker room,” Kostich said. “We really emphasized, ‘This game is for the seniors and for all the family that came out.’ It meant more.”

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