Men's Volleyball Falls to Sacred Heart in Five, 2-3
Harvard (5-7 (3-4)) 25 25 19 17 10 2
Sacred Heart (12-3 (5-2)) 23 19 25 25 15 3
K: Erik Johnsson - 12
B: 2 Players (#8, #10 - 7)
D: Chase Howard - 12
SA: Casey White - 2
K: Michael Comens - 19
B: Taylor Bloomquist - 5
D: Joshua Ayzenberg - 15
SA: Christopher DeLucie - 2
Matthew Ctvrtlik recorded his second career double-double with 21 assists and 10 digs (Gil Talbot)
FAIRFIELD, Conn. – The Harvard men's volleyball team fell in five sets to Sacred Heart on Friday night at the Pitt Center. The final tallies read 25-23, 25-19, 19-25, 17-25 and 10-15.
Matthew Ctvrtlik recorded his second career double-double with the Crimson (5-7, 3-4 EIVA) with 21 assists and 10 digs. Trevor Dow recorded seven stoppers in the contest with support from Casey White, who notched 11 kills and nine digs. Erik Johnsson earned double digit kills for the third consecutive game, slamming 12 down against the Pioneers.
During the first set, Harvard led Sacred heart by one point consistently through the first 23 points, until a kill from Taylor Bloomquist tied the set at 12 apiece. The Pioneers recorded the next five points, leading the Crimson by three, 15-12, but a kill from Ctvrtlik concluded the run for Sacred Heart. White and Dow recorded three stoppers in the last stretch of the set and a kill from Ctvrtlik clinched the set point for the Crimson.
Harvard jetted off to an 11-7 lead in the second set, with points coming down from four members of the Crimson. The Pioneers responded with a 6-2 run, tying the score at 13 apiece, until Harvard rattled of four consecutive points to gain the advantage, 17-13. Erik Johnsson earned four points of the last six for Harvard in the second set. Harvard took the set, 25-19.
Although Dow registered four kills in the third set, Harvard was challenged by the Pioneers falling 12-6 in the initial stretch. The Pioneers found their momentum in the stanza, hitting 45.2 percent, limiting the Crimson attack to 20.7 percent.
Sacred Heart continued on their rally in the fourth set, leading Harvard by seven for the first half. The Crimson rallied back with a 5-4 run to come within six points, but were unable to catch Sacred Heart by the end of the set, falling 17-25.
In the decisive fifth set, the Crimson and the Pioneers traded points for the first eight, notched at four apiece, until Sacred Heart's offense recorded three kills to bring the score up to 9-5 in favor of the home team. Despite four kills from Casey White, Harvard fell in the final set, 10-15.
Harvard will host Coker on Tuesday, March 7 at 7 p.m. The contest will be broadcast on the Ivy League Digital Network.