HARRISONBURG,VA - The Bard College men's volleyball team lost a pair of matches Saturday afternoon, falling to Rutgers-Newark, 3-0 and Eastern Mennonite University, 3-1. 

Set scores for the first match against Rutgers-Newark were, 25-11, 25-20 and 25-15.

The Raptors (3-14) began the day slow against the Scarlet Raiders of Rutgers-Newark (4-11), falling behind 4-1 early in the first set.

Bard was able to cut the lead to just one point, down 8-7, before Rutgers-Newark proceeded to rally off 17 of the next 21 points to take the set, 25-11. 

In the second set, Bard came out ready, going up 7-3 at one point, before the Scarlet Raiders began to cut into the lead. 

With the score 10-7 in the Raptors' favor, each side began rallies of their own to alter the game. Rutgers-Newark's rally of nine straight points put it up 16-10, before Bard responded with a run that cut that lead to 17-16. 

The Scarlet Raiders answered Bard's rally with another rally of their own, scoring six of the next seven points to build a comfortable, 23-17 lead, before finishing off the set, 25-20.

The third set, just like the second, was closely contested from the beginning, as neither side could find real separation from the other. 

That separation finally came at the end of the match, with Rutgers-Newark holding a 17-15 lead. The Scarlet Raiders proceeded to score eight straight points to win the set and match, 25-15.

For the entire game, Rutgers-Newark hit a solid .319 overall, while the Raptors were only able to hit -.077. 

Alex Adams led the way for Bard, he finished with eight kills and two blocks. Shane McDonald recorded 15 assists in the game, while Josh Kim added five digs for the Raptors.

Corey Pieper (Cincinnati, OH) collected a game-high 17 kills for the Scarlet Raiders, while Brendon Frank (Palos Verdes Estates, CA) added 18 assists in the winning effort. 

In the second match of the day, Bard fell to the #9 team in the latest AVCA poll, Eastern Mennonite University, 21-25, 25-17, 25-16 and 25-13.

The first set began wonderfully for the Raptors, as they led nearly the entire set.

With the score tied at 7-7, Bard used a four-point scoring streak to take the lead and advantage over the Royals of EMU (12-4). For the rest of the set, the Raptors never trailed again, as they won, 25-21.

To begin the second frame, Bard again started fast, jumping out to a 4-1 lead.

However, EMU would not have a repeat of the first set again, as the team outscored Bard, 13-4, during the middle of set to take a 20-11 lead.

Bard responded by cutting into the lead, getting within six points at 23-17, but EMU stopped that quickly with two points to win its first set of the match.

The third set was a near replica of the second, as the Raptors again began fast, jumping out to an early 4-1 lead.

As each side battled, the lead went back and forth with the Royals emerging with it later in the match, up 16-15. From there, the #9 team proceeded to score nine of the final 10 points to take the set, 25-16.

The fourth and final set, was again Bard's early, as the team raced out to a 9-6 lead.

But EMU answered that lead with a charge of its own, showing just why the team is ranked so high in the AVCA polls.

The hosts embarked on a scoring run that ended the match, as they outscored Bard, 19-4 over the rest of the match to take it, 25-13.

The second match of the day brought a slightly better hitting percentage for Bard, as the team was able to finish with .034 in the contest. EMU meanwhile, finished hitting .253 overall.

Adams again led the Raptors in kills, this time connecting on nine strikes. McDonald recorded 25 assists, while Tyler Zowaski finished with nine digs. 

EMU was led by William Ragland (North Chesterfield, VA), who had 12 kills in the game. Christian Taylor (Richmond, VA) added 24 assists in the win. 

Up next for Bard is a home contest against York College on March 4th at noon. You can follow that game right here via Live Video and Live Stats.