ANNANDALE-ON-HUDSON, N.Y. - The Bard College men's volleyball team opened the 2020 season with a split of two matches, first defeating Sarah Lawrence College, then falling to King's College (Pa.) Saturday afternoon.

The Raptors (1-1) started off with a 25-9 victory in set one against Sarah Lawrence (0-3). Senior hitter Tristan Kozul finished the set with six kills, while junior Joshua Han picked up two kills in the first. Senior setter Esteban Rivera contributed with eight assists in the set as Bard cruised to an early lead.

The Raptors continued their strong play in the second, as they took the second set by a score of 25-6. Kozul and freshman Angel Obergh had two service aces apiece in the set, while Han and junior Radoslav Skular picked up two kills each. Junior libero Colin Schroeder added five kills in the second, and Bard jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the match.

The Gryphons got off to a hot start in the third, overcoming an early deficit and eventually building a 15-7 lead. The Raptors then came storming back, winning 15 consecutive points to take a late lead, and closed things out by winning 18 of the final 19 points, picking up a 25-16 victory in the third and winning the match 3-0.

Han led the Raptors with seven kills on the match, picking up a .333 hitting percentage. Kozul finished with six kills, five assists and three service aces while hitting 1.000 on the day. Freshman Sebastien Dufour had five kills and two aces, and Rivera led the team with 17 assists.

Bard looked to continue their strong play in the second match, but the Monarchs (3-0) put together a strong showing, picking up a 25-10 victory in set one. King's fell behind 2-1 in the first before taking over, growing their lead to 13-3. The Raptors then won three out of the next four points in an attempt to get back in it, but late in the set the visitors finished things off by winning five of the final six points.

King's built a similar lead in the second, gaining an early 7-1 advantage and gradually building on it throughout the set. The Monarchs then went on a 10-1 run late that put the set out of reach, and again won by a 25-10 score to gain a 2-0 advantage.

The Raptors fared better early in the third, as the two teams went back and forth in the set with King's holding a slim 10-9 lead following three consecutive points from Bard. However, the Monarchs again pulled away late in the set, winning 11 of the following 14 points and finishing the match with a 25-15 victory in set three.

Kozul led all Bard players with three kills and seven assists, and Obergh picked up six digs during the match.

The Raptors return to the court Tuesday, Jan. 28, when they host CCNY in a 7:00 p.m. matchup.