ANNANDALE-ON-HUDSON, N.Y. – The Bard women's volleyball team won a thrilling four-set match against the Farmingdale Rams on Tuesday night to take their home opener at Stevenson Athletic Center.
Annika Flittie recorded her first double-double of the season and fourth of her career, with 10 kills and 10 digs.
Nyla Lawrence recorded six kills to just two errors, a season-high four blocks, and a season-high four digs.
Paola De La Cruz stuffed the stat sheet with six kills, four assists, three digs, and a block.
Grace Charles had career-highs in blocks and digs, with three each.
Becca Wintjen had 22 assists and 13 digs for her second double-double of the season.
Ella Small had a game-high 20 digs, which was her highest tally so far this year.
Fernanda Julian finished with a career-best seven aces, four digs, and an assist. Julian's seven aces is the most by any first-year since Emily Anastasi who had seven aces against Westfield State back in 2016.
Bard's 10-point difference was the largest margin of victory in the two programs' matchup history since 2010. The Raptors never trailed, taking a 7-3 lead behind key kills from De La Cruz and Flittie. At 11-7, Bard went on a 7-2 run that put the set out of reach of Farmingdale. Errors plagued the Rams, as they ended the frame with five more than the Raptors.
Farmingdale rebounded in the second set and played on even terms with Bard. The frame was decided by small runs in key moments. The first came with the Raptors leading 9-8, when the Rams took three straight points. Bard was down by three at 13-16 when the Raptors grinded out a trio of points to tie it up. However, Farmingdale broke through with three straight again. With a one-point lead at 21-20, the Rams closed the second on a 4-1 run.
Bard grabbed the third set in dramatic fashion. The Raptors stretched a one-point lead at 18-17 to 22-18 using a 4-1 run. Farmingdale knotted it back up at 23-23 to swing the set back. Bard brought up set point at 24-23 but strong offense from the Rams led to a set point for Farmingdale, 25-24. Flittie and De La Cruz recorded back-to-back kills to give the Raptors their second set point, which they converted. Bard weathered 14 kills from Farmingdale and sent down 11 of their own to secure the pivotal frame.
Serving was the difference in the fourth and final set, as the Raptors had six of their 11 aces in the fourth. Julian starred, hitting five aces and setting up an easy putaway for
Carmen Merrick during an 8-0 onslaught early on. That run was answered by three straight from the Rams, making it 11-7 in favor of the Raptors. Bard had a comfortable lead at 19-11, but Farmingdale did not give up, bringing the score back to 19-22. A clutch dump set by
Becca Wintjen got the crowd roaring, and it spurred the Raptors' 3-0 finish to the match.
Bard will host Utica and Hunter for a tri-match on Saturday, with the first match scheduled for 11 a.m.
