“We were a bit more familiar with what was going to come at us,” Kuld said. “We did work on blocking a certain play that they do a lot of. I think it paid off.”

Harvard closed out the third set using a 5-0 run to overcome a 29-26 deficit. Ivica got the run started, working off a set from Lothman to come away with the kill. Three straight Pride attack errors put the Crimson ahead, 30-29.

Kuld captured the set for Harvard, notching a kill for the 31-29 victory.

But it was too little too late, as the Crimson was unable to dig itself out of the early 2-0 deficit.

Ivica led Harvard for the second-straight game, finishing with 19 kills and nine digs.

“[Ivica’s] really playing out of his head right now,” Kuld said. “He’s really found his rhythm, and it’s fun to watch.”

Despite picking up its 11th non-conference loss of the season, the Crimson maintains its position in third place in the division standings and primed to make a splash in conference play. With a victory over NYU (3-13, 0-4 EIVA Hay Division) this Saturday, Harvard could vault into the second spot in its division.

“We know Saturday’s going to be a huge game for us,” Weintraub said. “We know that we still have opportunities to succeed.”

—Staff writer Martin Kessler can be reached at martin.kessler@college.harvard.edu.