BYU men's volleyball tops Harvard in 3-set road win

The BYU men’s volleyball team defeated Harvard in three sets Saturday night at the Harvard Invitational in Massachusetts.

The Cougars finished with a .488 hitting percentage, well above their team average entering the weekend.

Harvard put up resistance in each set but could not overcome BYU’s balanced attack. Connor Oldani led the Cougars with 14 kills. Trent Moser added 13, while Teilon-Jonathan Tafuga followed with 12 kills on 15 swings for a .800 hitting percentage. Tafuga also recorded three aces, all in the first set.

Setter Tyler Herget orchestrated the offense with 39 assists. Gavin Chambers contributed defensively, leading the team with one solo block and six block assists.

BYU jumped out to an early 5-1 lead in the first set, sparked by two Harvard errors and kills from Oldani and Tafuga. After a timeout, Harvard chipped away at the deficit, cutting the lead to 10-8 and later 21-20. Despite the Crimson’s push, BYU closed out the set 25-22.

Moser and Tafuga each recorded five kills in the opening set, while Oldani added four. Tafuga’s three aces helped the Cougars maintain control.

Harvard opened the second set with the early advantage before BYU responded with a four-point run fueled by kills from Tafuga and Chambers.

The set featured five lead changes and remained tight late. After a challenge reversed a BYU point, Harvard took a 22-21 lead. The teams traded set points before a Harvard attack error gave BYU a 29-27 win.

The Cougars took control early in the third set with an 8-4 lead behind kills from Moser, Oldani and Tafuga. BYU extended its advantage to 21-10 and maintained control down the stretch. A Harvard service error sealed the 25-19 set victory and completed the sweep.

BYU will conclude its road trip Monday at Merrimack. The match is scheduled for 4 p.m. MST at the Sakowich Center in North Andover, Mass.