Harvard schedules first all-time meeting vs. UCLA

For the first time in its program history, Harvard will have a non-conference match versus the program that has won the most men’s volleyball NCAA championships.

Harvard as part of recently unveiling its 2017 scheduled announced it will play UCLA during a mid-season West Coast road trip in March.

While this will be the first meeting between the two schools, Harvard enters the match attempting to get its program’s third all-time against a MPSF school.

Harvard finished last season in third place in the EIVA and advanced to the EIVA Tournament semifinals for the fifth consecutive season. In addition, all-conference outside attacker Casey White and all-conference setter Marko Kostich highlight several of the starters returning for the Crimson in the upcoming season.

The Crimson in the off-season also added freshman setter Matthew Ctvrtlik who ended his high school career in California as a two-time first-team all-state selection.

UCLA in 2016 reached the NCAA Tournament for the first time in almost a decade and was one-game away from advancing to the NCAA Tournament finals. The Bruins return multiple All-Americans, including setter Micah Ma’a, outside attacker Jake Arnitz and middle attacker Mitch Stahl.

The match against UCLA on March 11 will be Harvard’s first of three non-conference matches in a span four days versus MPSF opponents. Harvard also will travel to UC Santa Barbara on March 13 and USC on March 14.