The Crimson stayed close with the Gauchos for the opening points, but the visitors went on a 9-3 run midway through the set to take a 20-13 lead.
Baise called a timeout to refocus his team, and at first, his strategy seemed to work.
Sophomore Nikola Ivica got an ace on the first play coming out of the break, but Santa Barbara’s Dylan Davis responded with a kill on the next point to shift the momentum.
The Gauchos took full advantage of the swing, going on a run to reach match point.
The match ended anticlimactically when Kulb made a service error to lose the game, 30-21, dashing Harvard’s hopes of winning its first match this season.
“[Santa Barbara] was the hardest opponent we’ve faced all season,” Weintraub said. “We have players coming in and out of injury, so it’s difficult to keep the consistency to beat these teams.”
Despite a tough loss, the Crimson seeks to pull out its first victory of the season on Saturday afternoon at home against Rutgers-Newark.
Even though Harvard has yet to win a match, chances look good this weekend, especially following last night’s strong offensive output.
“It was one of the best offensive matches we’ve played all season,” Baise said. “We have a long way to go, but there are lots of positive things and we’re making progress.”