In addition to his offensive production, White contributed two blocks to a defense that rejected the ball 18 times on the night. Clemens topped the bunch with six blocks, the same number that the Engineers recorded as a team.
“I was really focusing on lining up the ball really well,” Clemens said. “We went over some keys for how we want to block for our first conference game on Friday, and I was just…focusing on trying to block like that.”
MIT adjusted to Harvard’s defensive success by relying on tips over the Crimson’s first line of blockers.
While this strategy kept the second set close, the match returned to blowout form late in the game, when Harvard won seven of the last eight points of play.
Although the Engineers entered the matchup with an undefeated record, this label proved misleading, as MIT had only squared off against Division III programs. The Crimson has now won four consecutive matches against its crosstown opponent.
“We feel good,” White said. “We’ve played some good opponents, and I think we’re up to speed with where we need to be at.”
—Staff writer Sam Danello can be reached at sdanello@college.harvard.edu