ANNANDALE-ON-HUDSON, N.Y. — The Bard College women's volleyball team fell short on their comeback, falling to Sage, 3-1, on Wednesday night at Stevenson Athletic Center. 

Bard was led by Coral Cook, who finished with 13 kills, marking her sixth double-digit kill performance, just a kill away from tying her career-high. LaeAnna Riley and Ella Small each tied their career-high in aces, with Riley having six and Small having four. Xenia Vassou led the team with a career-high five blocks and Carmen Merrick added four blocks. 

The Raptors had a slow start in the first set, with Sage taking a 10-4 lead. Bard went on a 7-0 run to take an 11-10 lead. Both teams went back and forth until the Gators went on a 10-5 run to take a 23-19 lead. Bard closed the gap to 22-23 but the Gators would hold on and take the set from a kill from Macey Salvione and then a Raptor service error. 

The second set was similar to the first, with both teams going on runs early. Sage took advantage at 19-18 and went on a 4-0 run. Another kill by Salvione and a service error from Bard gave the Gators a 2-0 lead. 

The third set differed from the other two, as Bard took a 17-4 lead and never let the Gators back into the set. The Raptors hit .385 with 10 kills and no errors, compared to Sage's -.147 and 12 errors. 

In the fourth set, Sage came alive and took an 11-8 lead, but the Raptors shut it down, going on an 11-2 run to take a 19-13 lead. The Gators did not give up and rallied their way back into the game, going on an 11-2 run to give them match point. A kill from Ashleigh Gerkman sealed Sage's victory.  

Bard will travel to Wilkes on Saturday for a tri-match against host Wilkes at noon and then PSU-Abington at 2 p.m.