JERSEY CITY, N.J. - The Bard College men's volleyball team was defeated by the New Jersey City University Gothic Knights, 3-1, in a non-conference matchup Thursday night. 

Set scores for contest were 25-12, 25-23, 20-25, 25-21

With the loss, the Raptors fell to 0-11, while New Jersey City University improved to 4-4.

After struggling in the first set, Bard responded with a bounce-back effort in set two. The set was close the entire way, resulting in a 22-22 score late. Following two attacking errors that put Bard in a hole, the Raptors cut it to just a one point deficit, thanks a Stefan Briggs' kill.

However, on the next rally, the Gothic Knights got the kill they needed to end the set, outlasting Bard, 25-23.

The Raptors did rebound in the third set though, using a 13-4 run to sprint in front of New Jersey City late into the frame, to defeated the hosts, 25-20.

In the fourth and final set, the Raptors fell behind early and were unable to bounce-back like they did in the third set. Bard cut the deficit to 23-20 late, but New Jersey City held on for the set and match win.

Overall, neither side hit the ball particularly well. The Gothic Knights were able to strike the ball just a bit better than Bard however, as they secured more kills, blocks and aces than the Raptors.

New Jersey City University was led by Dave Etienne (Jersey City, NJ) and his team-leading 11 kills. Julian Moreira (Miami, FL) collected nine kills, four aces and six blocks in the winning effort. 

As for Bard, Briggs finished with a team-high 11 kills, while Tyler Zowaski added 10 kills and a team-high 14 digs. Josh Kim collected 22 assists on the night. 

Up next for the Raptors is a return to UVC play, as Bard hosts Sage College this Saturday, February 17th at 1 p.m. You can follow that ontest right here.