“It was one of those matches where everything we were working on in practice came together,” Baise said. “All our passing and all our serving, I mean really everything, came through. We really executed in every one of those areas tonight.”

Lothman tallied 40 assists on the night, while his co-captain Nick Madden had ten kills from his opposite hitter position.

“[The most important thing] was just making the small plays,” Lothman said. “Covering blocks and picking up junk digs on defense, making your serves and not serving out if the last person served out.”

The MAC was packed Friday to witness one of the program’s best victories, with 550 people in attendance.

“I have never had a crowd like that since I have been here,” the senior said. “We have had some big crowds, but I have never been in the atmosphere where people are crowded around the railings. It feels kind of like a pit, which is really a great atmosphere.”

The Nittany Lion offense sputtered all night, as the combination of stingy defense from the Crimson and sloppy offensive play led to only a .244 hitting percentage for Penn State.

“I think [the crowd] is probably worth a couple of points in the series of a match,” Lothman said. “When the crowd is in their head that way, it forces the other team to make some unforced errors that they otherwise wouldn’t.”

Harvard viewed Friday’s victory as more than just an upset, but as a historical marker for past and future matches.

“So I would say it is probably the best we have ever played as a unit,” Lothman said. “And with a team like that, when you beat them, it is going to be up there as one of the top games in Harvard history as far as men’s volleyball is concerned.”