Men’s volleyball at Harvard University lost to the No. 20 ranked New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) Highlanders in four sets on Saturday, February 14. This marks the Crimson’s second consecutive four-set loss to NJIT and concludes their opening weekend of conference play.
Harvard started strong by scoring the first point and found early success with aggressive attacks that challenged NJIT’s defense. However, NJIT responded and eventually pulled ahead to win the first set 25–21.
Owen Woolbert led Harvard in the opening set with four kills. Teammates Brian Thomas, Zach Berty, and Sawyer Nichols each contributed two kills to keep the score close.
The second set was closely contested, with both teams exchanging points through several extended rallies. Harvard managed to secure a 27–25 win in this set after a key block by Woolbert, Oliver Doty, and Nichols.
NJIT took control in the third set by taking advantage of gaps in Harvard’s defense. The Highlanders maintained this momentum into the fourth set to close out the match.
Woolbert had a notable performance for Harvard, achieving a career-high 17 kills along with five block assists and ten digs. Sawyer Nichols added 14 kills and seven digs, while Oliver Doty recorded a personal best of six block assists. Zach Berty and Brian Thomas contributed eight and seven kills respectively.
The Crimson will continue their season next weekend when they travel to face Penn State Nittany Lions men’s volleyball team. Matches are scheduled for Friday at 6:00 p.m. and Saturday at 3:00 p.m., both available via streaming on Big Ten+.
