The first set saw a .500 hitting percentage for Long Beach State, while Harvard averaged .156.

“They’re one of the best defensive teams we’ve seen all year,” Kostich said. “We were passing well, we were hitting fine, but even we were getting good, clean hits, they were getting everything up. That’s tough to stop.”

The 49ers won the set 25-15, and its players went into the second set with confidence and communication. Taking advantage of Harvard’s eight errors and low hitting percentage of .062, Long Beach State mustered 13 kills.

After another sizeable loss of 25-15 in the second set, the Crimson rebounded to confront Long Beach State’s dominance.

“We started talking much better as a team,” Johnsson said. “We were very quiet in the beginning, and that makes a big difference.”

Johnsson accumulated 7 kills and 21 total attempts. Vigorous communication of the team made a big difference in the effectiveness of both offense and defense in set three. The Crimson cut its errors to 4 and had a .269 hitting percentage.

Nevertheless, the 49ers continued committing to the front of the court, blocking numerous chances for Harvard to win even a single set. Long Beach State won the final set 25-20, having scored 47.5 points overall in comparison to the Crimson’s 38 points.

While the 49ers walked away with a victory, Harvard, too, left with reassurance for later success.

“Before we get into conference play, this is the best competition we can face to prepare ourselves,” Johnsson said. “So even though we took the loss this game, I think we’ll be better in the long run because of it.”