Rutgers-Newark Halts Men's Volleyball's Win Streak

Photo of Soren Rosier courtesy of Gil Talbot.

NEWARK, N.J. - The Harvard men's volleyball team had their three match win streak halted Friday night as Rutgers-Newark defeated the Crimson, 3-0, at the Golden Dome. Senior Erik Kuld and sophomore Matt Jones led the team offensively in kills, with 15 and 14, respectively. With the win, Rutgers-Newark claimed the EIVA Hay division title with a 7-0 record, while the Crimson falls to 3-2 in division play.

The entire match, which saw 26 ties and 10 lead changes, was very close from the beginning. In the first set, Harvard fell behind, 18-12, before going on a 5-0 run to close the gap to 18-17. The teams traded points as they moved closer to 30 points, but Harvard was unable to score the final two, falling 30-28.

In the second set, neither team could gain more than a four point lead. A block by senior Soren Rosier and freshman Derek Jansma stopped the Raiders on a match-point to make the score 29-26, but a Crimson error on the next play gave Rutgers-Newark the set win for a 2-0 advantage going into the third set. The third and final set saw several offensive runs by both teams, but the Crimson had no response for a 12-3 run the Raiders went on with the score tied at 17 all.

Harvard returns to action Saturday afternoon at NYU. First serve is scheduled for 3 p.m.