The Crimson fell behind, 2-1, but rattled off an early 6-1 run to go up 9-5. Harvard’s lead continued to grow from there, and the Crimson closed out the final set with a six-point win.

“I think the team played pretty well,” Gibbons said. “We took advantage of the other team’s weakness. After the third set, we were able to come back and focus in.”

Harvard relied heavily on its passing to pick up the win, something it struggled with in its season opener. After picking up just 22 digs against Newbury, the Crimson recorded 35 on Friday night, with six different players notching at least four digs.

“I think that the passers really did a good job of getting the ball to the setter, and that allowed him to run the offense,” Gibbons said.

Sophomore setter Rob Lothman was the major beneficiary of the team’s solid passing. Lothman finished with a season-high 40 assists.

“[Lothman’s] doing a great job of spreading the ball around and keeping the offense balanced,” Jones said. “He’s making the other team work hard to try and stop us.”

“Rob’s been doing a great job,” Gibbons echoed. “He’s been getting the ball so the hitter can put it away. He’s been a big part of our success.”

The Crimson will look to make it three in a row to open the season—something it has not done since 2008—tomorrow night, when the squad hosts Springfield.

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