ANNANDALE-ON-HUDSON, N.Y. – The Bard College men's volleyball team faced St. Joseph's Long Island on Thursday night in Stevenson Athletic Center.

The Raptors were neck-and-neck with the Golden Eagles through the first 12 points, with five ties and two lead changes. The Golden Eagles went on a 7-1 run to build their first lead, which they held for the remainder of the set. Pearse Esposito led the team in digs and assists, with three each, adding two kills. Lincoln Grisso starred at the net, leading all players in blocks.

Ansel Waisler and Sidney Stein started the Raptors' second set with forceful kills. St. Joseph's Long Island had a 10-2 run in response, forcing a Bard timeout. Coach Tyler Zowaski put a game plan in place that allowed the Raptors to compete with the top team in the Skyline conference, splitting the next 24 points, 12-12. Esposito added two aces to his tally, while Stein had three kills in the set to lead the Raptors.

Bard continued to put pressure on the Golden Eagles, with Micah Kelleher and Waisler getting early kills in the third set. St. Joseph's Long Island found their stride, hitting 11 kills with just one error for a .455 hitting percentage.

Waisler led the Raptors in digs, with nine, followed by Quinn Lewis with six. Esposito had a team-high nine assists, while Giorgi Chikolov had three and Gideon Jacob had two. Waisler had five kills, Esposito had four, and Stein had four. Will Beane-Rosenberg led the team in hitting percentage, with .333. Grisso had four blocks to lead Bard.

The Raptors host a tri-match with Brooklyn and Manhattanville Saturday, with matches starting at 11 a.m.