The Bard men's volleyball team started its 2024 season with a tri-match on Saturday afternoon, falling 3-0 to Mount Aloysius and Wilkes in Cresson, Penn.

Both matches had close scores in every set, with the Raptors falling 18-25, 19-25, and 23-25 to Mount Aloysius and 21-25, 21-25, and 22-25 to Wilkes.

Graduate student Angel Obergh led the Raptors offensively, notching 18 kills between the two matches, just ahead of first-year Kincade Avery, who had 16 kills and a hitting percentage of .214. Obergh had a pair of aces, and Georgi Chikolov had three aces and 31 assists in the matches. 

Defensively, Obergh (20) and Avery (10) also led in digs, followed by Benjamin Davis (8) and Chikolov (6). Five Raptors earned solo blocks; Obergh, Avery, Chikolov, graduate student Quincy Ross, and first-year Micah Kelleher.

The Raptors continue on the road to start the season, facing Lehman on Tuesday evening in the Bronx. The team will play its first home matches of the season on February 3, when Bard hosts Elms and Medgar Evers in a tri-match at Stevenson Athletic Center.

"We learned a lot about our team today and the team improved throughout each set of the tri-match," said head coach Tyler Zowaski. "Out of system, our attackers are doing a really nice job using the block and putting balls away. In system, we need to be more consistent with tempos we're running. Looking forward to Lehman this Tuesday."

Avery added: "We stayed consistent throughout both matches holding ourselves to a high standard on the court. It showed with our blocking and defense that we can compete with these teams."

"Today, though it was the first time for most of our team playing collegiate volleyball, we stood on our ground and fought every second of the way," Obergh said. "It was incredible seeing how each member adapted to the different rotations, new positions, and unexpected plays. Most importantly, each set we played only made us sharper and attentive. We didn't leave without a good fight."