ANNANDALE-ON-HUDSON, N.Y. – The Bard women's volleyball team took the second set but ultimately fell short, 1-3, against the St. Elizabeth Eagles Tuesday at Stevenson Athletic Center.
Annika Flittie got double-digit kills for the second straight game, hitting 11. She nearly had a double-double, with nine digs and an ace.
Becca Wintjen had eight kills and nine digs, adding two blocks and an ace.
Nyla Lawrence was another weapon at the Raptors ' disposal, tallying seven kills, a block, and a dig.
Back from injury,
Xenia Vassou had five kills, two digs, and a block.
Carmen Merrick had a team-best three blocks and recorded three kills.
Fernanda Julian went for 25 assists, which is the third 20+ assist match for her this season and second in a row. She also had a career-high three kills, adding five digs, two blocks, and an ace.
Ella Small led the team in digs, with 12, in addition to getting three assists and an ace.
St. Elizabeth had a 9-1 start to the match, putting them in the drivers' seat for the first set. Bard had a 5-1 run to make it 6-10, capped off by an ace from
Paola De La Cruz. With no lead changes in the set, the Eagles were able to finish the set comfortably, as they capitalized on their one set point.
The Raptors had an impressive 14 kills in the second set, topping the six that St. Elizabeth tallied. Bard used a 5-0 run at 2-2 to jump ahead, during which Vassou recorded two kills. Later, four straight points by the Raptors made it 13-6. Bard held off a 5-2 run at 22-16, using a couple of Vassou kills and a Wintjen kill to take the last three Bard points.
In the third set, both teams jockeyed for positioning early, as it wasn't until 8-8 that Bard found some separation, winning four straight points. St. Elizabeth quickly narrowed the gap with three in a row of its own. The Raptors held a narrow lead at 18-16 when a 9-3 spurt by the Eagles sent them to pole position with a 2-1 set lead.
The run extended into the fourth set, as the first four points went St. Elizabeth's way. Bard battled back and tied it up at 10-10. However, St. Elizabeth won eight of the next ten points and the end was near. The Raptors got within four after Flittie hit a kill and then an ace to make it 17-21. Unfortunately, four of the next five points went to the Eagles, including the match-clinching kill.
Bard was the more aggressive team when points turned into a back-and-forth rally, hitting 37 kills to St. Elizabeth's 27. The Raptors also read the Eagles' top kill-recorder well, limiting Dadlyna Louis to 1.75 kills per set, below her season average of 2.27.
The Raptors will face Penn State Altoona and Wilkes on Wilkes's campus on Saturday, with Bard's matches scheduled for 2 p.m. and 4 p.m.
