Men's Volleyball Defeats Harvard in Commanding Fashion

NORTH ANDOVER, MA- The Merrimack men's volleyball team secured a win against the Harvard University Crimson in the two team's second meeting of the 2025 season on Wednesday, February 26th.
 

Rapid Recap

Score: Merrimack 3, Harvard 1

Records: Merrimack 5-3, Harvard 5-6

How it Happened 

The first set started off strong for the Warriors. Kai Vogel, Logan Whitaker and Kasen Owens would each get kills to get the blue and gold rolling. Merrimack had a strong presence in front of the net and had a slew of blocks that would get them points in the middle of the set. Ephraim Abhulime would contribute some kills as well late in the frame. The Warriors would put pressure on the Crimson, as they committed multiple service errors and were forced to call two timeouts during the set. Nick Tidik and Kai Vogel would have emphatic spikes at the end of the set to give the Warriors the set 1 win, 25-16. 

The second set started with a back-and-forth tilt. Nick Tidik, Ephraim Abhulime, and Kai Vogel would keep the Warriors in the game with kills early on. Logan Whitaker would catch fire in the second half of the set with a number of huge spikes and an electric block to energize the Warriors. Ephraim Abhulime would secure some more blocks in front of the net, causing the Crimson to once again call a timeout. He would also have the set-deciding spike to give the Warriors a 25-23 set win. 

The third set started off with both teams trading points. Kai Vogel and Logan Whitaker would have some big points to keep the Warriors in the game. Logan Whitaker and Ephraim Abhulime would team up to tally a big block to the liking of the many Warriors fans in attendance. However, Harvard controlled the set and went on to take set 3 by a score of 25-20. 

The fourth set was total dominance from the Warriors. The blue and gold would become red hot and score nine unanswered points in a row in the middle of the set. Kai Vogel and Nick Tidik would get involved with a monstrous block that energized Hammel Court. Blake Taschner would keep the scoring entourage going with three service aces in a row. Kai Vogel and Logan Whitaker would get some big points during that strength and keep the Warriors in control. The blue and gold kept rolling and went on to win set 4 by a score of 25-18. The last point by the Warriors was a kill from Ephraim Abhulime. It was a great night for Merrimack men's volleyball!

Notes and Numbers

• Logan Whitaker had an amazing game with 16.5 points, 13 kills, 2.5 blocks and a service ace

• Kai Vogel was second in kills with 12. He also had a clutch block. 

• Blake Taschner had an astounding 38 assists

• Ephraim Abhulime had 2.5 blocks, commanding the front of the net 

• Kyle Standage tallied 11 digs

• Nick Tidik had 7 kills and 3 assists

Up Next

The Warriors hit the road to take on the Penn State Nittany Lions on Friday, February 28th at 7PM. The game will be streamed on B1G+. Link to watch is on the Merrimack men's volleyball schedule and the B1G+ website.

For continuing coverage of Merrimack Athletics and Merrimack men's volleyball, visit merrimackathletics.com . Follow Merrimack men's volleyball on Instagram @merrimackmvb .