Some of the offensive inefficiency could have been attributed to a reconfigured lineup. After two weeks of inaction, junior outside hitter Casey White returned to his typical spot on the floor—but with only one day of practice under his belt.

Rustiness was one of several problems in the second frame, in which Sacred Heart copied the template of the first: win the opening three points and pile on from there. Midway through the set, the Pioneers put together their most dominant streak of the evening, taking eight of nine straight points.

The lead proved invincible, as Sacred Heart claimed the set by a margin of 10 points—the largest gap at any time during play.

“We were out of system a lot,” Clemens said. “They were able to put a lot of pressure on us offensively…. Hopefully it was just a post-spring-break kind of lull.”

While the margin of victory may have come as a surprise, the Pioneers’ competence was less shocking. This year’s EIVA boasts dense competition. There are two outliers—Penn State, which has only lost one conference match, and Charleston, which has yet to win one—but all other teams sport between three and six wins.

The result is a muddled middle, and Harvard is at dead center, now in a two-way tie for third place.

“All the teams are certainly capable of being in that top four to make it to the conference playoffs,” Schlossman said. “Now it’s going to be a little tougher. Our spot isn’t as secure as it was.

–Staff writer Sam Danello can be reached at sam.danello@thecrimson.com.