“He got hot in that fourth game,” Baise said. “It’s what I’ve come to expect from Matt, and I think we’ll see a lot of that this season.”

“He’s the type of guy you rely on in close situations,” Lothman added. “Towards the end of the game, he really took the team on his back. He came over to me and said, ‘This is where we’re going to win this game. Give me the ball. I’m going to put it down.’”

Lothman also turned in a strong performance at setter, handing out a game-high 27 assists to go along with three digs and three kills.

“Our passing wasn’t great and that always makes his job tough,” Baise said. “But he was able to get the ball where we needed it to be, and that’s key at the setter position.”

Lothman played a crucial role in helping the Crimson grab the match’s first two sets.

Lothman gave Harvard its first lead early in the match, landing an ace on his second serve.

The Crimson fell back behind moments later, but took back the lead off an ace from Rehkemper. Harvard rolled from there, continuing on a 6-2 run to grab the 12-6 lead. The Crimson continued to extend its lead, going up 21-13 before eventually winning the set by six points.

Harvard gained the commanding two-set advantage in the second game, using a 6-2 run midway through the set to grab a four-point lead, 18-14. The Crimson’s advantage never dipped below three for the remainder of the set, and Harvard finished with a 25-18 win.

The third set was a different story.

Harvard fell behind early but managed to claw its way back into the game, taking a 16-15 lead off an ace from sophomore Derek Jansma. But Newbury regained the lead and claimed its first set, 25-20.

“It’s a long match and I think we just let our focus slip a little bit in that third game,” Lothman said.

Harvard regained focus for the fourth set, never trailed en route to a 25-20 win to seal the victory.

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