In the third frame, Cal Baptist never trailed after erasing a 6-5 deficit. The lead widened as play progressed, and the visitors used a .522 kill percentage to take the set from Harvard, 25-17. It was the largest set margin by either team on the night.
On the defensive end, the Lancers also proved dominant, rising up for 14 blocks. By contrast the Crimson tallied nine, led by four from middle blocker Trevor Dow.
For Harvard, Dow was a happy footnote to a disappointing result. The freshman finished with a .625 kill percentage, the eighth match this season in which he has eclipsed .556.
But individual performances could not prevent the Crimson from falling to 4-5 in nonconference play. From this point on, Harvard will exclusively face league foes, as the team aims to earn a spot in the four-team EIVA playoff in late April.
“This Cal Baptist game comes at a good time,” senior outside hitter Alec Schlossman said. “Getting a good match like that in before we get some time off for spring break definitely helps us evaluate where we are compared to where we want to be by April.”
—Staff writer Sam Danello can be reached at sam.danello@thecrimson.com.