With the Harvard women’s volleyball team (4-2) tied at 23 points apiece in the fourth set against last year’s SEC champion Georgia (5-3), the team needed someone to step up.

Sophomore setter Corie Bain did just that. The Manhattan, California native assisted on two straight points, giving the Crimson a 3-1 victory. The moment was indicative of the team’s growing trust in Bain, whom teammates say is playing well beyond her years.

“She is a leader both on and off the court,” sophomore outside hitter Grace Weghorst said.

And as the Crimson is quickly learning, trusting Bain pays off. Against the Bulldogs, Bain led the team with 14 kills as Harvard fought its way to its first victory of the Benson Hospitality Invitational.

“We know what kind of team we are,” Bain said. “We are a very good finishing team.”

Despite Bain’s flashes of brilliance, victory was not certain for most of the contest. Georgia started strong, taking a close first set and reaching set point late in the second set with a 20-18 advantage.

That’s when Bain took over. She assisted the next two points, 25-23, which yielded two kills by fellow second-year player Grace Weghorst and junior Caroline Holte. Two subsequent assists on the final two points sealed the set for Harvard.

Weghorst said that part of Bain’s value to the team is her ability to perform in these tense moments—not just to record the timely kill, but also to have the level-headedness to make the right assist at the right time.

“[Corie is] super calm even in situations that are pretty stressful,” Weghorst said.

Besides her calm in the clutch, teammates say, Bain has plenty of talent. As a freshman, she set the school record with 50 service aces. 

But the sophomore’s skill set extends beyond that. The second-year player recorded six triple-doubles in her first campaign, which ranked second among all NCAA freshmen. The Ivy League recognized her standout season at the end of the year, unanimously selecting Bain as both Ivy League Rookie of the Year and a first team All-Ivy pick.

Bain’s diverse abilities were on display throughout the game against the Bulldogs. When Georgia appeared ready to run away with the game in the first set, four kills in five points kept the Crimson within striking distance. 

Again in the fourth and final set, a Crimson run of 11 of 16 points to start the set, which included four kills by Bain, led to a Harvard lead that proved insurmountable. Although the Bulldogs pulled within two points, winning seven of nine points in the final stages of the set, the Crimson pulled away late. 

“I was really proud of how we were able to deal with a high-ranked team,” Bain said.

Standing out in clutch situations is nothing new for Bain, who starred for four years at Mira Costa High School. In three of those four years, her team won the league championship, and she was named league MVP twice.

This season, Bain looks poised to take on a leadership role with Harvard, which has only three seniors on a team of 16. She already leads the team in kills and assists, with 55 and 153, respectively. Her 45 digs on the year are good for second on the team.

It was no surprise, then, that the volleyball found its way to Bain during the final two points of the match. Twice she set the ball for a Crimson teammate, and twice the teammate smashed the ball for a kill. It was Corie Bain at her finest—calmly and quietly leading Harvard to a team success.

It will be crucial for the team’s fortunes if Bain can continue her strong play as the team begins to wrap up nonconference play and heads towards Ivy League competition. 

After a second place finish in the Ancient Eight last year, the team’s first finish in the top half of the league since the 2009 season, Bain and her teammates have their eyes on usurping last year’s winner and archrival Yale and taking home the conference championship. 

“I am very confident in our team [this year],” Bain said. “We have a lot of talent and a very good bench…I’m excited [for the beginning of conference play].”