Harvard Faces Defeat At Merrimack College After Successful Weekend

Harvard men’s volleyball (5-6, 3-1 EIVA) faced a tough fight at Merrimack College (5-3, 0-0 NEC) in North Andover, Mass. Wednesday, ultimately falling to the Warriors 1-3.

Harvard beat Merrimack 3-0 earlier this year at home but couldn’t repeat the same success when the Warriors got the home court advantage.

The loss comes after Harvard swept conference opponent Sacred Heart twice at home over the weekend.

Harvard 1, Merrimack 3

Harvard’s Wednesday game was marked by service errors on both sides of the court, with Harvard delivering 19 in the game. The first set began no differently as Harvard gave Merrimack the ball after a serve to the net.

Harvard continued slowly into the game, adjusting to the new court and notably lower ceilings. Merrimack came off to a strong start, demonstrating their hitting capabilities early in the game to place the score in their favor.

Harvard was able to respond immediately, tying things up early on in the game at 4-4 and initiating a scoring back-and-forth that defined the rest of the game.

While key moments from Harvard showed early potential — including a powerful kill from senior outside hitter Logan Shepherd, who led the team in kills for the day — it were ultimately unable to fend off Merrimack’s persistent blocks. Merrimack seized a five-point lead, forcing Harvard to burn its second timeout of the game.

After returning from the timeout, Harvard’s attempts were mostly countered as Merrimack maintained at least a four-point lead for the rest of the set, finishing off on top 17-25.

The second set marked an energy shift for the Crimson, as Harvard began to put up a greater fight and kept the score virtually tied for the entire set. Harvard matched the Warriors’ blocking game and increased its persistence throughout the period.

But the push-and-pull came to an end when Merrimack saw its match point and delivered a direct hit that Harvard couldn’t get under, forcing the Crimson to give up another set with a score of 23-25.

The third set marked a strong change for Harvard, as the Crimson continued its fury from the previous set. Harvard strategized its kill placements better, landing more than the previous sets, as it found their way around the Warriors’ impenetrable block.

With a back-and-forth straight through the set, Harvard was eventually able to pull ahead and up the score to 23-20.

Senior outside hitter Andrew Lobo — who returned to play Wednesday after an injury that kept him from the past few games — delivered a powerful kill into an unstable Merrimack block, pushing Harvard into the match point. A Merrimack service error closed off the set 25-20, giving Harvard a new hope for redemption.

But the Warriors did not take their third set loss lightly. Merrimack came out swinging at the start of the set, driving the score to 0-3.

Harvard junior outside hitter Zach Berty, however, decided the Crimson wasn’t done. He delivered a well placed kill to the Warriors’ empty court to get Harvard its first point of the set, echoing his consistent placement skill from last game.

Harvard tied the score up early on in the game, but Merrimack went on a rampage. The Crimson was unable to get under Merrimack’s kills, which were driven swiftly to the ground, and ultimately let Merrimack take the game, finishing the third set 18-25.

Harvard has the weekend off to recover from its loss while the team anticipates facing off against University of Charleston in West Virginia on Mar. 8 and 9 in two weeks.

—Staff writer Elyse C. Goncalves can be reached at elyse.goncalves@thecrimson.com. Follow her on X @e1ysegoncalves.