ELMIRA, N.Y. - The Bard College men's volleyball team lost its United Volleyball Conference opening match to Elmira College in straight sets Sunday morning, before falling to Misericordia University in a tight contest to wrap up the day.
Set scores against Elmira were 25-8, 25-14 and 25-20.
The Soaring Eagles of Elmira hit .476 in the first set en route to a .278 hitting percentage on the day. The hosts finished the match with 34 kills, eight aces and six blocks in the win. Dan Symer (Burnt Hills, NY) and Matt Buffum (Chesterfield, MO) each collected eight kills to lead Elmira.
The Raptors meanwhile, were led by
Stefan Briggs' six kills, two aces and six digs.
Josh Kim collected 16 assists in the effort.
In the second match of the day, things were much tighter against Misericordia University. Set scores for the contest were 27-25, 24-26, 25-21 and 25-18.
In the first set, each side traded points and rallies, as neither side led by more than four points throughout the frame. Late in the set, Bard led 23-22, before the Cougars scored twice. The Raptors responded with two points of their own to regain the lead at 25-24, but Misericordia wouldn't be denied. The Cougars scored on two straight kills and a serving ace to take the set 27-25.
The second set played out much like the first, with both sides trading points throughout. The Cougars built up a late 22-19 lead, before the Raptors embarked on a 7-2 run to win the set.
In the third set, the tight contest continued.
Misericordia went up 16-11 midway through the set, before Bard answered with five straight points to quickly reestablish the back-and-forth natural of the match. After each side trades points, the Cougars began to build again, grabbing a late 23-18 advantage. The Raptors cut the deficit to 23-21, but the Cougars wouldn't let the contest go to extra points again, as they scored twice to win the set 25-21.
In the final set, Misericordia came out red hot. The team scored seven of the first eight points, en route to a comfortable set win, 25-18.
The Cougars excelled at hitting all afternoon, as they hit .351 or better in three of the four sets and finished with 68 kills. Bard meanwhile, started the match hot with a .304 hitting percentage in set one, but that mark dropped over the four sets.
Briggs again led the Raptors in the effort, finishing with 13 kills and 10 digs.
Tyler Zowaski added 12 kills and 14 digs, while Kim tied his career-high with 26 assists.
Ryan Miller (Mullica Hill, NJ) powered Misericordia to the win with his 27 kills, while Caleb Bauder (Nazareth, PA) added 15 kills.
Up next for Bard is a trip to New Jersey to take on New Jersey City University on February 15th at 7 p.m.
