ALBANY, N.Y. - The Bard College men's volleyball team was defeated by Sage College, 3-1, in a non-league on Wednesday night.

Bard took the first set, 25-23, but Sage took the last three 25-16, 25-19 and 25-22.

Although the first set was close, Bard led from start to finish. But Sage responded by hitting .522 in the second to set to even the match.

Bard (8-16) got down 6-0 in the third set and never recovered. They got as close at 16-14, but Sage won it, 25-19.

The Raptors raced out to a 9-3 lead in the fourth set, only to see the Gators (8-12) tie it at 10-10. Another surge by Sage made it 23-15, but a final rally from Bard cut it to 24-22. A kill by Bailey Checchi (Agawam, MA) ended it.

Checchi finished with 14 kills, seven digs and two blocks. Ryan Guyton (Lockport, NY) added 10 kills and hit .500.

Bard got eight kills from Stefan Briggs, and seven each from Kai Bernier-Chen and Troy Robertson. Joseph Stier had 31 assists, and Tyler Zowaski had seven digs.

Up next for Bard is a United Volleyball Conference crossover. They'll play third-ranked New Paltz and 11th-ranked Elmira at New Paltz on Saturday. Live Stats and Live Video are available for all three matches.