Cambridge, Mass. - March 11, 2015 - The Springfield College men's volleyball team had its six-match winning streak snapped on Wendesday night as it was defeated by Harvard University by the scores of 25-20, 25-16, 20-25, 25-21.

Springfield, which last loss this season came in a four-set setback to Harvard in the Volleyball Hall of Fame Morgan Classic on Feb. 21, falls to 14-6 on the season.

Despite only playing in the first two sets, Greg Woods (Middletown, Conn.) recorded a team-best 11 kills, while first-year Ricardo Padilla Ayala (San Juan, Puerto Rico) totaled 10 kills, six digs, and a pair of aces.  Jason Mascoe (Uniondale, N.Y.) notched eight kills at a .462 clip in the middle, and Ryan Malone (Chicopee, Mass.) was credited with a team-high nine digs. 

Springfield's offense committed 24 miscues on the night, its second-highest total of the year, as it hit .239 on the night.  Luis Garcia Rubio (Bayamon, Puerto Rico) and Keaton Pieper (Dallas, Texas) combined for 44 assists.

The Pride took a 10-9 lead to begin the match, but the Crimson answered with a 6-2 surge to snag a 15-12 advantage, forcing Springfield into a timeout.  Springfield battled back to within 17-16 on a block from Joseth Irizarry Feliciano (Adjuntas, Puerto Rico) and Angel Perez (Naranjito, Puerto Rico), only to have Harvard score the next three points to seize control.  Harvard hit .571 as a team and took the opening set, 25-20, despite Woods putting away eight of Springfield's 14 kills while hitting at a .700 clip. 

Springfield had a terrific start to the second set, storming out to a 7-3 lead after another Woods kill.  However, the Pride's offense struggled the rest of the way, hitting -.087 in the frame, and Harvard used a 15-4 run to take command before ultimatley cruising to a 25-15 win.

Leading 10-9 in the third set, Springfield put together a 5-1 surge, highlighted by an ace and kill from Sean Zuvich (San Pedro, Calif.) to force the Crimson into a timeout.  The Pride went on to lead by as much as eight on three occasions, the last coming at 23-15, and benefited from Perez's sixth kill of the set to take the stanza, 25-20.

Despite falling behind 7-1 to start the fourth set, Springfield did not go away quietly, using a 9-4 push behind the play of Padilla Ayala to get within 11-10.  The hosts answered back with a 6-2 burst and never looked back as it wrapped up the match with a 25-21 win.  Harvard's offense produced 17 kills at a .484 clip in the final set to complete the four-set victory.

Springfield heads off to Spring Break and will have a 15-day hiatus from competition until it hosts Baruch on March 26 at 6:00 pm.