Harvard dominated the match in the first set, 25-18, but the Big Red pushed back during the second and third sets and pushed the match to four sets.
“The second and third sets were definitely difficult,” freshman outside hitter Grace Weghorst said. “But really when you’re playing, you either win a game or you lose and you play another one. Winning in four is awesome but if we have to win in five we keep going.”
After a 25-23 loss in the third set, Harvard gathered itself to come back strong in the fourth set, winning, 25-16.
“I told them to focus on just what we had been practicing all week,” Weiss said. “We needed to maintain our chemistry and take their best attacker and slow her down.”
Weghorst had her first double-double with 14 kills and 11 digs. Bain almost garnered another triple-double with nine kills, 26 assists, and 12 digs. These two freshmen have contributed to the team success.
“There’s been almost no adjustment period,” co-captain Natalie Doyle said. “Grace and Corinne are doing a great job starting and contributing what they can to every game.”
Harvard managed a .224 hitting percentage with Cornell trailing at .154. Casey and Doyle contributed a total of 26 digs, while Walters, sophomore middle blocker Caroline Holte, and senior right side hitter Erin Cooney had an evenly distributed 12 blocks throughout the game.
“I think our blocking was really strong,” Bain said. “When you can get a stuff block it changes the momentum of the game.”
The Harvard squad also tallied a total of 70 digs compared to the Big Red’s 53.
“We definitely worked on hustle this weekend,” Weghorst said. “We had a bit of trouble getting to some balls last weekend so we were focusing on a lot of defense and a lot of blocking.”
The victory against Cornell set Harvard up for an improved Ivy League ranking, and after this weekend the Crimson found itself ranked second.
“As a team we’re always trying to challenge each other to get better every match,” Doyle said. “I think we have the best team that Harvard volleyball has had in years and we’re really just trying to maximize our potential and have no regrets.”