Sophomore middle blocker Justin Denham had four kills in crucial situations throughout the game.
Another element that fueled the fourth-game rally was improved serving. The Crimson did not miss a serve in the fourth or fifth game.
Harvard's 15-3 drubbing of MIT set the stage for a deciding fifth game.
The tension of the fifth game was visible on the faces of all the players. As sideout after sideout went by, the score inched upwards with Harvard and MIT trading the lead.
A thunderous kill by Denham tied the game at 11 and Harvard called a time out.
"JD [Justin Denham] came into the timeout all fired up and gave a rousing motivational speech," Pankau said "He really pushed us to finish MIT off."
Denham's rallying speech apparently had a direct impact on the Crimson's defense. Blocks by junior co-captain Justin Micomonaco, Herger, and Denham allowed the Crimson to defeat the Engineers 15-13 in the final game.
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