As it turned out, however, Princeton was not a very good measuring stick. The Elis may have taken five matches against the Tigers, but they couldn't muster a single victory against Harvard.

"It was very impressive that we won 9-0," Bajwa said. "It showed me how much the guys wanted this and that they were really hungry."

Junior Peter Karlin set the tone for the Crimson early in the No. 2 position, frustrating Yale's Peter Grote with a series of stunning shots. Karlin claimed the win in straight sets 15-5, 15-11, 15-7.

Senior Andrew Merill and freshmen Isaac Whitman and James Bullock also pulled out early wins for Harvard.

In the No. 1 match, Harvard co-captain Deepak Abraham prevailed in a very physical contest against Yale's Anshul Manchanda. Though Abraham required just three sets to claim victory 15-13, 15-8, 15-14, Manchanda did not go quietly, as he spent almost as much time running into Abraham and then crying foul as he did going after the ball.

The most inspired performance of the night was unquestionably turned in by Harvard sophomore Dylan Patterson, who rallied back from two games down to overtake Robert Gilpin in one of the night's most grueling matches.

"Dylan has been a bit up-and-down this year," Bajwa said. "For him to come back from two-love is very encouraging. I think he is coming of age."

The Harvard men will now set their sights on the postseason, as the ISA Team Championships are scheduled for this weekend.