ALBANY, N.Y. - The Bard College women's volleyball team rallied from the brink of defeat twice, but couldn't hang on a third time, as the Raptors lost a five-set heartbreaker at Sage on Wednesday night.

The Gators (3-7) got out to a fast start and cruised to victory in the first set, 25-14. The way things were going, it looked like it might be a quick match.

But Bard (3-5) asserted itself in the second set, building a small lead, then holding off Sage down the stretch to win it, 25-22. Now it looked like it was going to be a long night. It was.

Sage was an 11-5 lead in the third set before Bard came back again, eventually cutting the lead to 22-20, but Sage took the set, 25-22 to lead the match, 2-1.

That's when things got interesting.

The Raptors were up 9-4 early in the fourth set, then they were only up 12-9, then it was tied 13-13. The teams started alternating points, Sage started to pull away, and before you knew it, the Gators were up 23-20, two points from victory.

A kill by Kaylynn Tran and consecutive ball-handling errors tied the match at 23-23; a kill by Alexis Akingbade gave Bard a set point at 24-23, and a kill from Philippine Alba sent the match to a fifth and deciding set.

There was even more drama in the fifth. Bard was down 7-4 and 9-6, but the Raptors rallied again. They were up 10-9, then down 14-12, a simple set point away from defeat. A block by Akingbade kept Bard alive at 14-13, and a kill by Emily Anastasi tied it at 14-14. A Bard service error and a Sage block gave the Gators the fifth set, 16-14, and the match, 3-2.

Sophomore Miranda Nethaway (Fonda, NY) led the hosts with 16 kills, seven digs and six blocks.

For Bard, Alba finished with 15 kills and 12 digs; Victoria Chou also had a double-double with 35 assists and 12 digs. Anastasi had 23 digs, while Lia Taus added 20 digs and four aces. Tran finished with six kills and collected 13 digs; Zoe Morgan-Weinman had three kills and four aces.

The Raptors will next compete in the Oswego State Tournament this Friday and Saturday. Bard will play St. John Fisher and Elmira on Friday; SUNY Canton and Utica on Saturday.