Cambridge, Mass. - The St. Thomas Aquinas College Men's Volleyball team wrote yet another chapter in the program's three-year history on Saturday evening. STAC scored a thrilling 3-2 road victory over Harvard University at the Malkin Athletic Center.
STAC moves to 6-10 on the season, while Harvard slips to 5-10.
The Spartans' and the Crimson's instant classic went the distance, as the maroon and gold took the first two sets, before Harvard righted the ship and rallied for two straight victories to send the match to a deciding fifth set. A helter skelter final stanza had everything you could imagine; stellar play, the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat. However, STAC withstood all challenges that their hosts had thrown at them and finished the mission, taking the frame and the match.
Set Results
Set 1: STAC 25/HAR 20
Set 2: STAC 25/HAR 16
Set 3: HAR 25/STAC 23
Set 4: HAR 25/STAC 18
Set 5: STAC 15/HAR 11
How it Happened
- As a team, St. Thomas Aquinas recorded 62 kills compared to Harvard's 46. The Spartans also had 9.5 blocks and 62 assists, while the Crimson tallied 13 blocks and 43 assists.
- STAC outhit Harvard by a .278 to .203 margin for the match.
- Kyran Versteegen paced the Spartans offense with a match-high 27 kills. Versteegen also registered a serve assist, a service ace, a solo block and a block assist.
- Marcus Franck tallied a match-high 42 serve assists (8.4 assists/set). He also accumulated two kills, a service ace and 11 digs for the maroon and gold.
- Jakob Schwarz picked up 12 kills, a serve assist, three service aces, seven digs and two block assists on Saturday.
- Santiago Valenca racked up seven kills, four service aces, six digs and a block assist against the Crimson.
- David Weiss contributed five kills, a service ace, two digs and four block assists.
- Alan Santiago accumulated five kills, two digs and three block assists in the match.
- Luis Grath put together four kill, one serve assist, two service ace, three dig, two solo block and two block assist effort for the maroon and gold.
- Joaquin La Jara (13 A, 2 D) and Ivaylo Todorov (4 A, 8 D) combined for 17 serve assists and 10 digs over five sets.
Up Next
STAC will have a quick turnaround, visiting NJIT on Sunday (March 8) for 1pm match at the Joel and Diane Bloom Wellness and Events Center in Newark, New Jersey.