Harvard defeated Columbia, 3-0 (30-22, 30-18, 30-23), in an Ivy League match in Levien Gymnasium. Columbia is now 3-13, 0-5 Ivy League, while Harvard improved to 7-11, 2-4 Ivy League.
Columbia got a late rally with four straight points, including a service ace from Alex Marchyshyn after Harvard jumped to a 9-3 lead to start off the match with a formidable presence at the net. Marchyshyn's ace forced the Crimson to take a timeout, leading 21-17. Both teams continued a solid offensive effort as Harvard went on to win game one.
Harvard opened game two on a 6-0 run and Columbia responded with five straight points of its own. The Crimson slowly pulled away and scored the last four points to seal the 2-0 advantage going into the 10-minute break between games two and three.
Another early run by Harvard put the Crimson up for good in game three. Trailing by as many as eight, the Lions rallied late in the game on two Natalie Gerling kills to cut the lead, but Columbia could not overcome the early deficit.
Columbia's Gerling and Harvard's Kathryn McKinley led all players with 13 kills each. Amalia Viti added 11 kills as did Harvard's Laura Mahon.
Columbia returns to action next weekend at Brown on Friday, October 19 at 7 p.m. The Lions travel to Yale on Saturday, October 20 at 4 p.m.
