Harvard Women’s Volleyball Sweeps Road Trip, Achieves Best Start in Program History

Wilmington, N.C., has seen many great shows since its founding in 1739. The coastal city has served as a filming location for shows such as “Dawson’s Creek,” “One Tree Hill,” and “The Summer I Turned Pretty.” This weekend, the town saw a completely different type of show – a dominant Harvard women’s volleyball team.

Taking on UNC-Asheville (10-2), Norfolk State (3-6), and UNC-Wilmington (4-6), the Crimson dominated, only dropping one set across three games. Harvard (7-0) then returned to Massachusetts, where the team proved no less dominant in a sweep of Merrimack (0-10).

The undefeated stretch pushes the team to 7-0, the best start in program history.

“After last year’s season, in our last games against Penn and senior night against Brown, we saw a glimpse of what we could accomplish as a team,” said captain Ryleigh Patterson, the MVP of the UNCW Invitational. “I think that how we’re playing and how our record is right now is a testament to the work that we’ve been putting in on the court.”

Harvard 3, UNC-Asheville 0

The Crimson quickly dispelled any fears of a hangover from its undefeated first weekend, establishing early that it would be in complete control all weekend.

Domination at the net characterized the first set and the match for Harvard, as the Crimson combined for four blocks on defense and surrendered no points via blocked attacks. The conquerors from Cambridge hit .310 on the game, an absurdly high hitting percentage that was somehow surpassed in the team’s third game of the weekend.

The front line of sophomore outside Sophia Rossi, senior outside Ali Farquhar, and Patterson powered an 8-0 run in the first set to open up a 13-6 lead that Harvard maintained for the remainder of the set.

Set two proved more competitive, with the sides trading punches and counterpunches, but the Crimson kept coming out on the better end. Harvard ended the set with its largest lead in a 25-20 victory.

The Crimson came out hot in the third set, seemingly slamming the door shut early. However, the Bulldogs came back with some bite midway through the set, aided by a sloppy stretch by Harvard, to claim one of their few leads of the match. Unwilling to play an extra set with a second match of the day on the horizon, the Crimson settled back in, with multiple kills by Rossi helping to close out the set and sweep.

Harvard 3, Norfolk State 1

Facing the challenge of a rare same-day double-header, Harvard put together what might be its best set all season in a 25-8 decimation of Norfolk State. With the Crimson hitting over 0.556 percent and committing zero errors, this set was arguably the worst defeat the Spartans have faced since the Battle of Leuctra in 371 B.C.

However, just as the 300 Spartans refused to yield at the Battle of Thermopylae, these Norfolk State Spartans showed incredible resolve in a 25-14 second-set win. A return to the median could also be blamed on Harvard, as the team hit in the negatives after its blistering first set.

With questions about which set best reflected the match to come still hanging in the air, Farquhar seemed to provide the answer as she rained kills early in the third set. The Santa Rosa, Calif., native logged three quick kills as her team opened a quick 8-2 lead.

Norfolk State ate into the lead for the remainder of the set, tying it up at 20-20 and even taking a brief, one-point lead. This time, Patterson had all the answers, recording two of her six blocks on the game to close out the set, alongside two kills and an ace by Rossi.

“Since it’s my last season, I want to play every game like it’s my last,” said Patterson about her high level of play so far this season. “I go out with that mindset and try to be the best version and give it all for the girls next to me.”

The final set proved less interesting on the scoreboard, with the Crimson claiming a wire-to-wire victory. Harvard’s emerging stars took turns scoring, as Farquhar opened with three straight kills before turning the scoring over to Rossi, who managed four of her game-high 10 aces in the set. Patterson continued to torture her opponents at the net, and freshman outside Kayla Nwabueze, Michigan’s 2026 Gatorade Player of the Year, hammered three more kills.

Harvard 3, UNC-Wilmington 0

Pro Football Hall of Famer John Madden once said, “You can’t win a game if you don’t score any points.” UNCW may have scored some points in the match, but with the Crimson holding the Seahawks to negative hitting percentages in two of the three sets, every point was a struggle for the hosting team.

Errors for Harvard and aces for UNCW from the service line kept the Seahawks in the first set, but even then, the Crimson’s lanky front line turned away or altered enough shots to enable its offense to work through its system for kills. Rossi and Nwabueze each added three kills to UNCW’s myriad of errors to secure a 25-21 first set.

Harvard cleaned up its shaky serve in the second set, maintained its dominance at the net, and worked the ball around for an even offensive attack to claim a 25-19 second set.

The Crimson opened a large lead early in the third set. The visitor then slowed up a bit and committed a string of errors that teased its opponents with the possibility of a comeback. Just as the hosts cut the lead to three and seemed back in the match, Harvard put its foot back on the gas. The front line reestablished its dominance, forcing four straight attacking errors to reopen a lead that was not threatened again.

Harvard 3, Merrimack 0

With three wins secured in North Carolina, the Crimson returned closer to home to finish its road trip against Merrimack. The Warriors of North Andover, Mass., proved no more challenging for Harvard than any of its other opponents on the weekend as the team secured another clean sweep.

Once again, the Crimson’s front line challenged its opponent, limiting clean swings throughout the game. The visitor held the hosts to a negative hitting percentage in the first set en route to a 25-10 victory.

In the second set, Merrimack mixed in a few more off-speed tips and hit a positive percentage. For Harvard, the athleticism of its attackers and the smoothness of its offensive system proved too much for the Warriors to slow down. The Crimson cruised to another victory, 25-16.

Even more tips helped Merrimack add points in the third and final set, but it still proved too little, too late against Harvard’s overpowering offense. Ultimately, the set and match ended with a 25-20 final score.

Harvard will look to bring that momentum home to the friendly confines of the MAC this upcoming weekend, taking on Providence (8-1) on Friday evening and Sacred Heart (6-4) on Saturday afternoon. The two contests comprise the Harvard Invitational, the Crimson’s last matchups before opening Ivy League play against Dartmouth the next weekend.

While the team is aware of the history it has set in nonconference play, it is focused on maintaining its composure heading into conference play.

“It’s honestly surreal, but I’m so grateful to be a part of this,” Patterson said about the historic start to the season. “It’s been really special to see all of our hard work come together, and we’re excited about what we’ve accomplished so far.”

“At the same time, we have a very forward-looking mindset on the Ivies,” she added. “We know what we’re capable of, and we’re excited to keep building on this start and see how far we can take it.”

—Sports Chair of the Harvard Crimson, Reed M. Trimble, can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on X at @ReedTrimble1