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Well rested and well positioned, the Harvard men’s volleyball team entered the William H. Pitt Center with high hopes.

The Crimson (9-8, 5-3 EIVA) hadn’t played a match since a March 14 loss to California Baptist and hadn’t faced a conference foe since playing Sacred Heart nine days before that.

On Saturday night, still owning a claim to second place in the EIVA, Harvard suited up to face the Pioneers (6-12, 4-4) once more. Last time had been a relaxed three-set victory that kicked off the month of March.

But as they say: in like a lion, out like a lamb. In a 3-0 defeat, the Crimson resembled a timid version of its former self, hitting to .187 on a night when the closest set was 25-17.

“We were especially flat,” captain Branden Clemens said. “I think we’re a good team, but I don’t think we’re a talented enough team that we can cruise through teams.”

Meanwhile Sacred Heart played at historic levels of efficiency. The Pioneers finished with a .412 kill rate, the fourth-highest mark in program history, and opened play by hitting a scorching .484 in the first game.

For all the mishits and missteps that Harvard made, it was simply Sacred Heart’s night.

“That’s definitely the best I’ve seen them play,” senior outside hitter Alec Schlossman said. “It seemed like they couldn’t make a mistake…. Their offense was clicking on all cylinders, and our defense really wasn’t doing much to slow them down.”

The Crimson led once all match: after the first point of the third set. But any flicker of optimism blew out abruptly, as the Pioneers took four of the next five points.

While a mid-set 3-0 run steadied Harvard and pushed the count to a competitive 9-8, Sacred Heart responded with a 3-0 run of its own. The Crimson never came closer in a 25-17 set defeat.

During the frame, Harvard compiled a dismal .107 kill percentage, the lowest rate of the night. Overall the highest efficiency mark that any player tallied was .333—and that number belonged to the setter, sophomore Marko Kostich.

The Pioneers shot to an immediate lead, winning the first three points of the contest. The score spiraled from there, and by the time Sacred Heart held a 7-2 advantage, Crimson coach Brian Baise was compelled to use an early timeout.

The stoppage of play only paused the damage, as the Pioneers continued the demolition when they returned to the floor. The set ended—mercifully—at 25-17.

Sacred Heart tallied 18 kills in the game, topped by a remarkable 11 by senior outside hitter Austin Arcala. On the night, Arcala led his side with 22 finishes, while junior outside hitter Michael Comens contributed 10. By contrast no Harvard player reached double-digit kills.