The Bard College men's volleyball team won their first five-setter of the season on Friday night over the Emerson Lions. The Raptors had 65 kills, the most since 2011. They had 60 assists, reaching the 60+ mark in that category for the first time since 2015.

Sidney Stein led the Raptors with a career-high 23 kills, hitting .280, while adding nine digs and an ace. Ansel Waisler was another key contributor on offense, finishing with 20 kills on 49 total attacks and hit .245. On defense, Waisler led the Raptors with 14 digs. Pearse Esposito recorded his first career triple-double; he had 31 assists, 10 kills, and a career-high 13 digs. He is the first Raptor since 2023 (Ty McGlynn had a triple double against Pratt) to record a triple double. Georgi Chikolov contributed a season-high 23 assists, three aces, and six digs. Lincoln Grisso had an efficient outing with 11 kills on a .350 hitting percentage, adding four digs and two blocks. Will Beane-Rosenberg recorded a team-high three blocks in the match.

Bard won the first set after winning six straight points at 8-8 and maintaining the lead for the remainder of the set. The Raptors hit .280 in the set, compared to the Lions' .167. Emerson took a 21-12 lead after an 11-3 run midway through the second set, but Bard was relentless, going on a 7-0 run immediately after to get within two. Emerson closed out the set, despite Bard hitting six more kills than the Lions.

Once again, the Raptors went up a set against their opponent using a scorching hot offense, hitting .429 in the third. They started and finished the set strong, as they got out to an 8-3 lead and then closed out the frame on a 5-1 run. The Lions used a 9-1 run to gain the advantage in the fourth set, and the Raptors got within one at 20-21 before four straight Emerson points sent the match to a decider.

The Lions hit .278 in the fifth set, forcing the Raptors to bring their A-game. Bard started the set with back-to-back kills by Grisso, who's efficiency spread to the rest of the team, which hit .421 for the set. The Raptors never trailed in the set, getting out to an 8-3 lead and never looking back, winning by five points. Waisler got the knockout punch at 14-10 after the two teams traded service errors that could have been a sign of nerves down the stretch.

The first NEVC match for the Raptors is in less than 24 hours, as Bard stays in Massachusetts to face Endicott at noon tomorrow.