The Harvard women’s volleyball team (6-4, 1-0 Ivy) dominated Dartmouth (7-5, 0-1 Ivy) in almost all facets of Friday’s match en route to a 3-0 sweep in the Ancient Eight opener for both teams.

The win, which occurred at home at the Malkin Athletic Center, came after a loss on Tuesday night to New Hampshire in the team’s final non-conference fixture of the season.

“Dartmouth is a very good team,” Harvard coach Jennifer Weiss said. “They started off strong [but] I think we did a great job of preparing; the team did a nice job in practice. We really ran through how to defend against what they were going to bring out and also, offensively, where we could get some shots. I think the preparation is so important and after UNH they really came in in practice and worked hard to prepare for Dartmouth.”

The second set, which finished with a final score of 25-21, proved to be the tightest frame of the day, as it was bookended by decisive Crimson victories.

But a tense moment occurred at the opening of the match, when the Big Green jumped out to an early 11-7 lead.  Key kills by sophomore outside hitter Jennifer Shults and stellar serving by junior co-captain Kristen Casey allowed Harvard to fight back to take the lead, 13-12. Another 7-2 run gave the Crimson control of the set.

In the final stanza, the Crimson continued its dominance over Dartmouth, exploding to an early 8-2 lead and never looking back. With the completion of that frame, Harvard sealed its sixth victory of the season.

“I think we’re a uniquely close team, both on and off the court,” co-captain Natalie Doyle said. “I think being one of the smaller teams at Harvard... we just know each other so well, and we know each other’s tendencies, and we know what each other need emotionally; that allows us to come together.”