The Bard College women's volleyball team rallied on Saturday to claim a split of its matches at the Virginia Wesleyan Tournament, defeating Thiel 3-0 after falling to Neumann 3-1. 

Bard (1-3) received strong efforts from seniors Emily Hall Smith and Ryan Lum, pacing the Raptors with 16 kills each. Smith tied her career-high six aces against Neumann, while Lum added three aces against Thiel. First-year LaeAnna Riley totaled 13 kills, including six against Thiel, and hit an efficient .333 while adding two aces and three digs. 

Senior Adi David totaled 39 assists, including a double-double against Neumann with 22 assists and 11 digs. Sophomore Ella Small added six aces and 18 digs within the two matches. Senior Annie Couey had one of the best performances of her career, adding two aces, 10 digs, and three kills from the back row against Thiel. 

Bard will host Farmingdale State on Tuesday at 6 p.m. for the home opener in Stevenson Gymasium. 

Neumann 3, Bard 1

Bard took an early 6-3 lead in the first set, but Neumann returned and took a 5-1 run to take a 15-11 lead. The Raptors went on a 5-0 run, including back-to-back aces from Smith and a block from sophomore Nyla Lawrence, to take a 17-16 lead. The first set was tied at 26-26, but a service error from the Knights gave the Raptors a set point and sealed it with a kill from Lum. 

The second set was similar to the first; the Raptors and the Knights went back and forth until the Raptors went on a 5-0 run to take a 12-7 lead. However, Neumann fought back, went on a 9-3 run, and took a 24-21 lead. A service error and back-to-back aces from Couey helped the Raptors tie the game 24-24, but two kills from the Knights secured the second set. 

In the third set and fourth set, Neumann took control of the sets and claimed the match. 

Bard 3, Thiel 0

In the first set, Bard and Thiel were back and forth until the Raptors broke through at 6-6 with an 11-3 run to take an 18-9 lead. The Raptors kept the momentum and secured the first set with a kill from Smith. Bard hit .324 in the first set and only had two errors. 

Thiel took an early lead in the second set, 14-9, before the Raptors went on an 8-2 run to take a 17-16 lead. A 7-1 run that included a dump kill from sophomore Becca Wintjen and a service ace from Riley secured the set for Bard.

The Raptors raced out to a 19-9 lead in the third set and had a hit efficiency of .259. A kill from sophomore Abi Batingan brought up match point and sealed it with an ace from Couey.