Just when the offense started working, defense let the Crimson down. The Harvard men’s volleyball team (1-11, 1-1 EIVA) came up short on the road again on Wednesday, making a brief comeback attempt before falling to Rivier, 3-1, in Nashua, N.H.

“I thought we did some things really well and some things poorly, but in the end what we didn’t do well [mattered] more,” co-captain Gil Weintraub said.

After weeks of struggling to generate offense, the Crimson seemed to find its stroke. Sophomore outside hitters Matt Jones and Nicola Ivica had big nights— notching 14 kills each—but Harvard could not keep its Raider counterparts at bay.

Rivier (24-7) took the first six points of the match to build an early lead and kept its foot on the pedal with a number of forceful kills, winning the first set, 30-24.

“Blocking, defense, and preventing the other team from getting points is our goal,” Weintraub said. “At the beginning of the season we had trouble translating our offense, but playing strong defense is the next step.”

Unfortunately for the Crimson, it took too long to implement this step. The Raiders cruised through the second set, to the tune of a 30-22 margin, before Harvard could make an effective stand.

After struggling to adjust to the low ceiling in Rivier’s gym, which interfered with passing on both sides, the Crimson opted to shorten the points by going for big serves.

“We decided to bomb jump serves and it worked in our favor,” said Weintraub of the third set. “It made it tough for them to run their offense…but we weren’t able to maintain that.”

Using its attacking service style, Harvard bounced back to take the set, 30-24, but in the end the Raider offense proved too strong.

With setter Zach Hansen dishing out 45 assists, Rivier hitters consistently found opportunities to attack, amassing a standout .341 hitting percentage.

Jared Andreozzi proved particularly forceful as he tallied a match-high 18 kills—helping the Raiders close out the contest with a 30-24 win in the fourth set.

Still, as the Crimson fell to another strong team on the road, Weintraub recognized the importance of facing such talented competition with the bulk of conference play ahead.

“[Non-conference matches] are invaluable to show us where we need to improve—where we’re good and where we’re weak,” he said. “They’re diagnostics…I’m very grateful we’ve had a long non-conference season. Now that we’re entering a stretch of very important games, we can work on our offense, defense, receiving, and serving.”

Harvard at least knows that it can depend on its offensive stalwarts, including Jones and Ivica.

With Weintraub back in the setting role, notching 41 assists on Wednesday, the outside hitters are able to exhibit their talent. Co-captain Eric Kuld added 12 kills, but the two sophomores have stood out in particular.

“We moved [Jones and Ivica] out of the middle to the outsides to let them run free,” Weintraub explained. “Matt Jones jumps real well outside and…Nicola is a very experienced player. Both are very formidable.”

While the offense appears to have the tools to keep the Crimson competitive in EIVA matches, the squad needs to hone a complete game if it hopes to turn around its season.

In addition to building on its defense, Harvard will look to improve on its serving in order to control contests as it did briefly against the Raiders.

“Consistent serving is important,” Weintraub said. “It’s one thing to be able to run your offense and slow down your [opponent’s] offense, but to be able to put pressure on at the start makes our job on every front easier. So keeping the ball in and making sure the serve is tough are keys to our success.”