The first frame was close throughout, with the score being tied six times. After the two teams were knotted at 18, Harvard jumped out to a four-point lead, prompting the Big Red to call a timeout with the score at 28-24. An ensuing mini-rally by Cornell forced the Crimson to turn to the huddle with game point hanging at 29-27. But Ogbechie registered a reverberating kill to secure the Harvard win.
“[Cornell] is a really good team,” Schweitzer said. “It was tight all the way, and I think we fought hard all the way through.”
In the second frame, the Harvard responded to the Big Red’s 27-20 lead by firing off three straight points, forcing Cornell to take a timeout. The Big Red went on to close out the game with a three-point run of its own.
The Crimson reestablished its control during the third frame, jumping out to a 23-19 lead. The resulting Cornell timeout, however, proved to be to Harvard’s advantage, with kills by freshman outside hitter Laura Mahon and Schweitzer and a crucial block by Ogbechie helping the Crimson take seven of the next 11 points.
Mahon logged a double-double, recording a team-high 20 kills and match-high 27 digs. Schweitzer also chipped in with a strong effort, notching 18 digs to go along with 17 kills.
The Crimson posted eight aces, including three from Schweitzer and three from the jump-serving Mahon.
HARVARD 3, COLUMBIA 0
Coming off a homestand in which it swept Dartmouth and Marist, the Crimson continued the trend with a dominating 3-0 (30-16, 30-16, 30-13) win over the Lions.
Ogbechie had a solid all-around effort, recording 11 kills and a team-high 15 digs. Freshman middle blocker Suzie Trimble led all hitters with 14 kills.
In game one, the two sides traded points until Columbia (2-14, 0-4) called a timeout with the score at 14-11. From there, Harvard went on a 16-5 run to end the game with a series of kills by Ogbechie and Trimble.
“Our goal was to push the middle a little bit,” Harvard coach Jennifer Weiss said. “We felt like we were stronger there, and our setters did a good job of moving the [Columbia] blockers.”
The second frame started off in a similar fashion, as the contest remained relatively even up until the Crimson forged a 15-12 lead. Harvard regained its rhythm, conceding only four more points en route to another 30-16 win.
“You never want to play down to any level,” Ogbechie said. “I think that was our issue in the first game and the beginning of the second game.”
“It was just about building momentum,” added junior libero Elizabeth Blotky.
Harvard carried that momentum into the third game, jumping out to an 11-1 lead with two aces by Blotky and one by Mahon.
The Crimson cruised for the remainder of the frame, posting just two attack errors while slamming 17 kills.
Throughout the match, the Lions proved vulnerable to Harvard’s traditional floating serve. Columbia’s defensive weakness—with the Lions registering only three team blocks the entire night—allowed Trimble to dictate the middle.
“Suzie played awesome,” Blotky said. “She was definitely the go-to player today.”