Harvard Sweeps No. 17 Penn State in Season’s First Conference Match-Up

The Harvard Men’s Volleyball Team (3-4, 1-0 EIVA) dominated perennial conference power No. 17 Penn State (0-7, 0-1 EIVA) with a three-set win Friday night, giving the Crimson a surge of momentum to start their weekend against the Nittany Lion.

Harvard’s team, entering the matchup unranked after two straight losses last weekend, clinched a momentous win that ended Penn State’s 38-match win streak within the conference.

Harvard saw a fully packed crowd at the Malkin Athletic Center for their first conference matchup of the season.

Harvard 3, Penn State 0

Harvard got off to a strong start in the first set with an efficient attack and opportunistic play.

A vicious early service run from junior outside hitter Zach Berty and two Nittany Lion service errors gave the Crimson a 6-4 lead and forced Penn State to burn a timeout. Lights out play from Berty came to be a defining characteristic of the set.

Harvard scored again out of the timeout to grow the lead before the Crimson went cold and surrendered a rebuttal run as the Nittany Lions seized a 9-11 lead.

But senior outside hitter Logan Shepard fought back with a wily kill down the line that ignited a Harvard spurt. Penn State was once again forced to burn a timeout at 20-16 in the heart of another strong service stretch from Berty.

Quinn Bishop, a service specialist for the Crimson, subbed in and did his job late in the set, pounding a Penn State player with two serves and forcing the Nittany Lion’s coach to find a sub. A kill by senior outside hitter Owen Fanning slammed home to give Harvard a 25-21 first set.

Bishop said the team picked out their opponents weakest passers, following their Coach’s orders to serve to Penn State’s soft spot. Bishop was able to target one player in particular, forcing Penn State’s hand in pulling him off of the court.

“The entire time, we’re trying to press him the most, and he got subbed off, so we did a good job,” Bishop said. “It worked.”.

Set two started with deja vu as the Crimson jumped out to a 6-3 lead and forced a timeout. And once again Penn State responded by tying it up.

But while the first set was a game of runs, this set was filled with back-and-forth play with neither team taking a lead of more than one until a Harvard spurt gave the Crimson a 16-13.

Harvard extended their lead up to five before the Nittany Lions cut it back down to 20-18 and caused a Crimson timeout.

The timeout once again stoked Harvard’s flame as the Crimson extended the lead to 24-20. The lead bent but never broke as Fanning once again crushed Penn State’s hopes and clinched the set.

Harvard’s front line forced a series of blocks to start the third set as Harvard claimed a 4-0 lead. When the Crimson’s service was called out, Head Coach Brian Baise challenged the call as fans along the baseline pleaded for the challenge, resulting in the call being overturned, earning the Crimson their fourth point in the set.

The Nittany Lions tried to claw their way back into competition, but the Crimson kept them at around a five point distance. Harvard carried an 18-13 lead into a Penn State timeout as the Nittany Lions geared up for what could be their last opportunity for a stand.

But that stand never came as the Crimson cruised to a 25-19 victory punctuated by a strong serve from Bishop that put Penn State out of system and led to one final Harvard block.

Berty, who spearheaded a strong start that led the Crimson to victory, said that while the team “really came through” early in the game to defeat Penn St., they still have more to prepare for this weekend.

“We got a game tomorrow, so it’s not over yet,” Berty said.

Harvard faces Penn State again tomorrow evening at 5 p.m. for a second face-off, looking to turn their victory against their opponents into a winning streak.

—Staff writer Reed M. Trimble can be reached at reed.trimble@thecrimson.com.

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