CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — Charleston men's volleyball dropped both matches of an EIVA conference road series at the Malkin Athletic Center, falling 3–1 on Friday night before a 3–0 loss on Saturday afternoon as Harvard controlled key moments late in each contest.

Game 1

THE BASICS:
Location: Cambridge, Mass. (Malkin Athletic Center)
score: Harvard 3, Charleston 1 (25-23, 24-26, 26-24, 25-12)
Records: Charleston 9-7 (3-2 EIVA) | Harvard 3-10 (1-4 EIVA)

How it Happened:
Set one opened with a back-and-forth start before Harvard began to pull away, using a five-point run aided by Charleston errors to stretch the lead. Charleston responded with a 5–1 run of its own to close the gap and later made a late push with a four-point run to cut the deficit to 21-19. The set stayed tight down the stretch, but despite a Harvard service error giving Charleston hope late, the Crimson closed the frame with a kill to take the set 25-23.

Charleston answered in set two. After trailing early, the Golden Eagles used a four-point run highlighted by kills from Lucas Torres and Xander Bomert to take control. Harvard battled back to tie the set and later built a three-point lead late, reaching set point at 24-22. Charleston responded with a clutch surge, sparked by a Harvard attack error, followed by a Max Nissen kill, a Braxton Francis service ace, and another Harvard error to steal the set 26-24.

Set three remained tight throughout. After Charleston jumped ahead with a three-point run early behind two Torres kills and a Yotam Briger service ace, Harvard clawed back and the set stayed even all the way to 20-20. Down 24-22, Charleston stayed alive with a Harvard service error and a Nissen kill to tie it at 24-all, but Harvard answered with two straight kills to take the set 26-24 and a 2–1 match lead.

Momentum swung fully in Harvard's favor in the fourth set. The Crimson built an early advantage and followed it with multiple extended runs, including a five-point stretch that pushed the score to 20-8. Charleston battled late, but Harvard closed the match with three straight kills to secure the 25-12 set win.

Offensively:
Max Nissen led Charleston with 25 kills, while Xander Bomert added 10 and Lucas Torres finished with nine.

Defensively:
Charleston finished with 10 total blocks, led by Francis and Torres.

Game 2

The Basics:
Location: Cambridge, Mass. (Malkin Athletic Center)
Score: Harvard 3, Charleston 0 (25-19, 25-22, 25-15)
Records: Charleston 9-8 (3-3 EIVA) | Harvard 4-10 (2-4 EIVA)

How It Happened:
Saturday started off evenly before Harvard broke a 6-6 tie with a four-point run. A Dimitris Manikas kill briefly slowed the momentum, but Harvard followed with another run fueled by Charleston errors. Down 17-10, Charleston made a push with a service error, a Nissen kill, and a block by Nissen, Francis, and Luke Atkinson to cut the margin to 17-13. Harvard maintained control late, reaching set point at 24-18 before closing the set 25-19.

In set two, Harvard built an early 8-5 lead, but Charleston responded with a three-point run off Harvard errors to stay close. The teams traded points throughout, with Charleston briefly taking the lead at 16-15 following a Francis kill, a Joonatan Salpakari ace, and a Bomert kill. Harvard regained the edge and reached set point at 24-21. A late Bomert kill kept Charleston alive, but Harvard finished the frame 25-22.

The third set followed a similar pattern as Harvard carried momentum from the first two sets. The Crimson jumped out to an early 11-5 lead and continued to apply pressure, reaching 20-12 with no major Charleston run in response. After reaching set point at 24-13, Charleston briefly stayed alive before Harvard closed out the match 25-15.

Offensively:
Bomert recorded seven kills, with Francis adding six and Salpakari contributing four.

Defensively:
The Golden Eagles totaled nine blocks, with multiple contributors at the net.

Up Next:
Charleston returns home following spring break to refocus and prepare for a nonconference matchup, hosting North Greenville University at the Wehrle Innovation Center on March 16 at 7:00 p.m.