But the Crimson set aside its frustration and fought its way back into contention.

“It looked like we were going to fall apart,” Chen said, “but we screwed our heads on and kept on playing.”

Again it was Denham who used his serving to lift the team within four points of the Brewers, 20-16. Reppun and sophomore outside hitter Russ Mosier executed kills to narrow the gap even further. Serving four consecutive points, Reppun directed the Crimson to a one-point edge.

But Harvard struggled to put Vassar away, as the Brewers rallied back to tie the game on several occasions. Freshman Juan Ramos—who totaled 16 digs—contributed to Harvard’s defensive effort, digging balls with one hand and keeping rallies alive.

A sideout kill by Denham, who led the team with 19 kills, and Mosier, who finished with 12, sealed a two-point Harvard victory.

The third game was yet another struggle for each and every point. A Reppun block and Denham kill helped the team jump to a 5-0 lead but a few more unforced errors—along with the aggressive play of the Brewers—allowed Vassar to make up for lost ground.

Four kills by Brewers’ outside hitter Mike Gevertz and a sideout kill from Paul Kessenich brought what was a four-point deficit to a 22-22 tie.

The attack of Denham, complemented by a kill and block from junior middle blocker Alex Kowell, gave Harvard the lead at 30-29, setting the Crimson in position to take the game.

But Harvard was unable to capitalize on either this opportunity, or a later 34-33 advantage. The reason was once again unforced errors.

“We were just an inch away from a stuff, or from a dig or from a kill,” Bookman said. “But that inch made all the difference.”

In the fourth game the Crimson quickly grabbed the lead, but was once again tied up at 14-14 and again at 21-21. Kowell buried a forceful kill to push Harvard ahead by one, but the Brewers struck back and used an ace and key block to pull away at 27-24.

Another late-game Denham kill—as well as acrobatic digs picked up by Ramos—showed that it wasn’t heart that the Crimson was missing.

But earlier errors ultimately provedtoo much to overcome as a tip kill by Gevertz closed out the match forVassar.

Harvard 3, Southampton 0

Harvard showcased a glimpse of its potential Saturday in a 3-0 defeat of the Southampton Colonials (30-28, 30-26, 30-26).