Big Green Drop 3-2 Heartbreaker to Crimson

Saturday, October 23

Cambridge, Mass.

5:30 PM

Dartmouth College

10-7, 2-6Ivy

Harvard

8-9, 5-3Ivy

Dartmouth

Harvard

Amelia Gibbs volleyball action versus New Hampshire

Sophomore Amelia Gibbs

Photo by: Doug Austin

10/23/2021 8:04:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

Box Score

Dartmouth volleyball fought hard to get to five sets, but couldn't get those final few points to win the fifth

By: Charlotte Brackett

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – The score went to extra points twice, but the Dartmouth volleyball team couldn't hold off Harvard, dropping a 3-2 decision on the road on Saturday (21-25, 25-16, 24-26, 25-14, 14-16).

"I thought we battled and played very tough tonight," head coach Gilad Doron said. "We responded each time Harvard made a run and just fell short at the end. I couldn't be more proud of how we competed and the resiliency our team showed tonight. We will learn and grow from this experience and be ready for Penn and Princeton at home next weekend."

Emma Moffet was first with 15 kills, 18 points and six total blocks, the first two being season bests, while Karen Murphy led with 28 assists and Taite Ryan had a team-leading 15 digs.

Dartmouth (10-7, 2-6) vs. Harvard (8-9, 5-3)
The Crimson took the lead from the start, going on a 9-1 run early to put them in front (5-13). A 5-1 Dartmouth rally made up of kills by Amelia Gibbs, Bomi Ogunlari and Ryan got the visitors back in the game (11-14). Down by one, another 5-1 run from kills by Ellie Blain and Gibbs and an ace by Makenzie Arent gave the Green their first lead (20-18). Four straight points on the other side of the net switched the lead back to Harvard (20-23), and the home team allowed just one more kill from Blain before winning the set (21-25).

It was Dartmouth that took the lead in the second set, and a 7-1 rally following kills by Blain, Ryan, Gibbs and Ogunlari gave the Big Green a good lead (13-6). The Big Green didn't let up, getting nine points ahead and two points from victory thanks to kills by Ogunlari and Murphy (23-14). Harvard got two more points before kills by Piper Stevens and Blain made it a 1-1 match (25-16).

The third was very close and there were seven ties before Dartmouth pulled ahead following two aces by Murphy and a kill from Ryan (15-11). The Green managed to stay a point or two ahead until a Harvard kill tied the score at 19-all. Three ties later, Dartmouth had a 24-23 advantage following a Gibbs kill, but three straight points on the other side of the net gave the set to the Crimson (24-26).

Dartmouth came out strong in the fourth set, jumping ahead after kills by Blain and Moffet and some Harvard errors (9-4). The Big Green kept it going, staying ahead even after the Crimson started to close the gap (16-13). Dartmouth won all but one of the last 10 points, taking advantage of a handful of Harvard errors while adding kills by Moffet, Ryan and Ogunlari to send the match to extra sets (25-14).

The Crimson had a slight lead to start the fifth and soon found themselves with a 5-2 edge. The Big Green fought their way back, capitalizing on some Harvard errors to get within one (8-9). Harvard got to double digits and had a three-point lead, but a 4-1 Dartmouth run made up of kills by Gibbs and Blain tied it all up (12-12). The Crimson moved ahead by one, while a pair of Moffet kills gave the 14-13 lead to the Green. Three straight points for Harvard gave it a five-set win for the second time this year (14-16).

Dartmouth will host Penn and Princeton next weekend. This will be the penultimate home weekend for the Big Green, who will play just four more matches before the end of the season.