ANNANDALE-ON-HUDSON, N.Y. - Bard's welcome into the United Volleyball Conference was ... rude at best.

That's not to say anything about the level of sportsmanship displayed by SUNY New Paltz on Wednesday night. But the Hawks, ranked 15th in the latest American Volleyball Coaches Association Div. III poll, played at a different level and swept Bard, 3-0, in the Raptors' first-ever game as a member of the league.

Set scores were 25-19, 25-17 and 25-15.

Box score

The first set was the closest. Bard got down 12-6, eventually cut it to 16-13 and 21-17, but never really threatened to win the set. SUNY New Paltz got out to a 6-1 lead in the second set, and a 6-2 lead in the third set, and didn't relinquish the lead in either instance.

SUNY New Paltz got eight kills apiece from seniors Kevin Stross (Port Washington, NY) and Mike Van Tyne (Rochester, NY). The Hawks, 5-1 overall and 1-0 in the UVC, host Sage and Philadelphia Biblical on Saturday.

Bard (5-1, 0-1 UVC) got five kills from Nick Chan, 11 assists and two aces from Henry Kasiske, and five digs and two aces from Andrew Cortrite. The Raptors are off until a UVC Crossover event at Stevens Tech Feb. 11-12.