ANNANDALE-ON-HUDSON, N.Y. – The Bard College women's volleyball team faced the Wilkes Colonels for the first time and played against PSU-Abington for just the second time.
In the first bout, the Raptors (2-10) fell to Wilkes (2-6) in five sets.
Bard started strong in the first set, hitting .154 with twelve kills and six errors, while Wilkes stumbled with a hitting percentage of -.023, registering more errors (9) than kills (8). The Raptors went on a 10-2 run in the midst of the set.
The Raptors jumped out to a 7-3 lead in the second, but an 11-1 run by the Colonels turned the tide. Bard regrouped towards the end of the set, winning eight of the last twelve points to give the team confidence heading into the third set.
Bard bounced back in the third set, hitting their highest percentage of the match at .200, while Wilkes hit .100. Coral Cook punctuated an early 10-2 run with an ace, and Ani Flittie's kills down the stretch were crucial to the set victory.
In the fourth set, Wilkes surged ahead with a hitting percentage of .286, recording twelve kills and just four errors.
Xenia Vassou had two kills in the late stages of the match, but it was too little too late, as the Colonels' Sierra Hines led her squad to the win.
The teams were close in digs, with Wilkes tallying 65 to Bard's 63. Bard saw strong individual performances – Flittie led the team with ten kills, followed by Cook with nine and Vassou with six. Cook also recorded four aces, while LaeAnna Riley added three and Ninni Ylenius contributed two.
On defense, Carmen Merrick led with four blocks, supported by Riley and Vassou with three apiece. Becca Wintjen facilitated the offense with 30 assists, while Ella Small anchored the defense with 22 digs.
For Wilkes, Hines led the match with 14 kills. Rachael Anderson led in service aces with six. Alexa Cassel showcased her versatility with 30 assists and tied for the team lead in digs with 15, along with Annalyse Santowasso and Kendra Kalp.
Bard College lost to PSU-Abington in a tightly contested four-set match, with both teams showing moments of brilliance. Bard was powered by strong performances from Coral Cook and Annika Flittie, who combined for 33 kills. Cook led Bard with 17 kills and an ace, while Flittie added 16 kills and 14 digs. Becca Wintjen controlled the tempo with 37 assists, contributing to Bard's efficient offense, which hit .333 in the second set.
The Nittany Lions found their rhythm in the third set, where they hit a match-best .259.
Overall, Ellie Van Otten led the Nittany Lions' offense with 16 kills, while Brynn Atkins chipped in with ten kills and five blocks. Defensive standout Fabiola Medina recorded 23 digs, keeping PSU-Abington in contention throughout many rallies.
Bard's defense, led by Small with 24 digs and several key blocks from Vassou and Merrick, helped slow down PSU-Abington. A team effort on that end helped Bard hold PSU-Abington to a .108 hitting percentage in the second set.
The Raptors showed their resilience -- the match was a back-and-forth battle, with momentum swings on both sides. Bard's seven service aces proved crucial in building leads, and they were able to close out the second set by winning five of the last six points.
Next up for the Raptors is a home match against SUNY Poly at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, September 25th.
