The performance had teammates such as sophomore setter Marko Kostich waxing nostalgic.

“The last two games were entirely played for our seniors,” Kostich said. “We really emphasized that in the locker room.”

Yet the next night’s performance was arguably more impressive. Earlier in the season, NJIT had squeaked by the Crimson in five sets, and the hosts needed to reverse that result in order to extend the season.

Midway through the fourth set, the two programs seemed headed for another tiebreaker duel, as the Highlanders had come back from a two-set deficit to lead 10-6 in the fourth.

If momentum had ever existed, it was wearing blue-and-red at that moment.

“Knowing it was my last match here I wanted to give it my all,” Clemens said. “I have nothing left to lose, so I wanted to give it my all.”

On this night, giving it his all meant recording five kills over the next seven points. It was a remarkable one-man performance, and it dragged the Crimson to a 12-11 lead.

Even as he topped all players with 18 finishes, Clemens also posted a .343 kill rate, which was higher than any NJIT player with more than three attacks.

Later in the final frame, Clemens showcased his defensive skills by skidding across the floor for a deep dig. Play continued, Harvard eventually claimed the point, and Clemens came up yelling. Even if you were wearing mufflers, it was possible to lip-read his words: “Let’s go, boys.”

The boys went, sure enough. All it took was a six-point service run by Kostich (partly aided by another Clemens kill), and the Crimson took the match. For another weekend, the team’s season—and Clemens’ career—lived on.

As Kostich explained, there was a satisfying karma to the final result.

“We owe [the seniors] the world,” Kostich said. “They showed us around when we were high-schoolers…. We’re kind of repaying them now.”

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