After the aces and a Harvard timeout, Springfield scored eight of the game’s final 10 points to seal the game and secure the sweep.

Aside from the occasionally inconsistent blocking and serving, the Crimson played a more solid match than its last home loss to Roger Williams. Some of the improvement is most likely due to the return of middle blocker Denham, who had been sidelined earlier in the season with back pain.

On the injury front, Harvard is still without the services of one of its up-and-coming stars, freshman outside hitter Will Reppun. The 6’2 Hawaii native has missed significant game action since injuring his ankle at Southampton.

“[Reppun] brings incredible ball-handling skills and is another offensive weapon, but above all, he’s just a great volleyball player,” Bookman said. “We hope to have him back for this weekend.”

Harvard will need all the help it can get as it seeks to straighten out its season with three consecutive home league matches. This Saturday afternoon, the Crimson will take on the best team in the Hay Division, NYU, and on Sunday afternoon, the Harvard squad will face off against East Stroudsberg. Both games are at 2 p.m.

Wilson contends that the team “must win” its remaining home league games in order to stay in the hunt for the title, and Bookman agrees that key wins at home are needed to “right the ship.”

With less than 20 fans at last night’s game, though, the “home court” advantage has yet to materialize for the young Crimson squad this season.

And if things don’t change soon for Harvard, then there really will be no place like “home.”