The Harvard men’s volleyball team is stacked with giants. But this weekend, the Crimson (5-1, 4-1 EIVA) relied on one of its more diminutive players to lead the charge.

Harvard came away with two solid victories this weekend—beating Southhampton 3-0 and Vassar 3-0—behind the strong play of freshman setter Dave Fitz.

Fitz—who is listed at 6’3 but is more likely closer to 6’0—has solidified the setter position for the Crimson and given a spark to many of his much taller teammates.

“Now that we have our setter situation under control with Dave Fitz, we’re really solid top to bottom, and we showed that this weekend,” Harvard coach Rob Keller said.

HARVARD 3, VASSAR 0

After disposing of winless Southhampton on Saturday afernoon, Harvard took on a slightly tougher opponent in Vassar (2-9, 1-7) on Sunday.

But the Crimson dominated the Brewers just as it had the Colonials and got its third straight victory, winning 3-0 (33-31, 30-15, 30-23).

The first game of the match was by far the most competitive. Harvard jumped out to an early 14-8 lead behind the strong play of Fitz and sophomore middle blocker John Freese.

But Vassar showed the same resolve it did last weekend—when it took the Crimson to five games before Harvard pulled out a victory—and didn’t fold quickly in this contest either. The Brewers battled back and tied the match at 26, forcing Keller to call a timeout and calm his team down.

The strategy worked, and the Crimson battled through the next few points, eventually puling out a 33-31 victory.

The final two games were not nearly as close. In the second game Harvard controlled the action throughout, causing Vassar coach Jonathan Penn to become increasingly agitated with his team. At one point, Penn actually walked out onto the court in between points and admonished his players for their inability to “put points away.”

Despite their coach’s urgings, the Brewers couldn’t rebound and dropped the game 30-15.

The third game followed suit—with the Crimson winning 30-23—and Harvard came away with a very enjoyable league victory.

“I’m elated,” Keller said. “Vassar’s been struggling this year but we’re such a rival with them you never know. They’re like a wounded animal. They’re the most dangerous when they’re down.”

Keller was especially pleased with the continued solid play of Fitz.