Skip To Main Content

Bard College Athletics

Becca Wintjen
Reina Hoffman, sports information work study
3
Winner Utica Utica 4-2,0-0 Empire 8
1
Bard BRD 2-3,0-0 Liberty League
Winner
Utica Utica
4-2,0-0 Empire 8
3
Final
1
Bard BRD
2-3,0-0 Liberty League
Set Scores
Team 1 2 3 4 F
Utica Utica 25 25 18 25 (3)
Bard BRD 17 20 25 21 (1)
3
Winner Hunter Hunter 2-3,0-0 CUNYAC
2
Bard BRD 2-4,0-0 Liberty League
Winner
Hunter Hunter
2-3,0-0 CUNYAC
3
Final
2
Bard BRD
2-4,0-0 Liberty League
Set Scores
Team 1 2 3 4 5 F
Hunter Hunter 25 25 23 23 15 (3)
Bard BRD 19 23 25 25 11 (2)

Next Match:

at Sarah Lawrence

9/11/2025 | 7:00 PM

Next Match

Full Schedule
Sep. 11 (Thu) / 7:00 PM
at Sarah Lawrence
History

Game Recap: Women's Volleyball | | Noah Poll, assistant sports information director

RECAP: Becca Wintjen Records Triple-Double Against Hunter in Women’s Volleyball Tri-Match

Wintjen stuffs stat sheet with 21 assists, 13 digs, and 10 kills against Hunter

Story Links

ANNANDALE-ON-HUDSON, N.Y. – The Bard women's volleyball team picked up three sets but dropped their two matches against the Utica Pioneers and the Hunter Hawks on Saturday at Stevenson Athletic Center.

Against Utica, Becca Wintjen nearly had a triple-double with 14 digs, nine kills, and nine assists, leading the Raptors in digs and kills. Ella Small had 12 digs and an assist. Ava Rhinehart contributed 11 digs as well as an ace. Annika Flittie recorded 10 digs, seven kills, and a career-high seven aces. 

Paola De La Cruz served as the primary setter, dishing out a career-high 24 assists. She also had six digs, two kills, and an ace. Fernanda Julian tallied four assists, an ace, and three digs. Carmen Merrick had seven kills, two blocks, and two digs. Nyla Lawrence recorded six kills and two blocks in the effort. Alex Beer had six kills and a block, while Grace Charles sent four kills through in two sets.

Despite playing a match last night, Utica came out with a lot of energy, going up 5-0. At 15-11, the Pioneers had another 5-0 run. The Raptors got back within five before Utica closed out the first set. Bard had two more kills, but Utica had fewer errors. 

Both teams raised their level in the second set, with Utica hitting .270 and Bard hitting .303. With the Pioneers leading 8-7, the Raptors won three straight points to take a slim lead. Utica sent through a litany of kills that gave them a lead at 21-17. A 3-0 Bard run nearly pushed them over the top, but four straight kills from Utica clinched the set.

An early 5-2 lead for the Raptors was washed away after a 6-0 run by the Pioneers. However, Bard secured eight of the next ten points to take a 13-10 lead. The lead grew during a 9-2 run where Merrick and Wintjen had kills, and Flittie hit a couple of aces that hit the net tape favorably. Utica had a final 5-1 push , but another Wintjen kill closed the third out.

At 6-5 Utica in the fourth, Bard went on a 4-0 run. A 3-0 response from Utica tied it back up, but the Raptors spread out the offense during an 8-1 run in which six different Raptors recorded points. The Pioneers didn't back down despite a seven-point deficit at 17-10. They proceeded to take the momentum, going on a 13-2 run that sealed Bard's fate.

Against Hunter, Wintjen had the Raptors' first triple-double since 2012 with her 21 assists, 13 digs, and a career-high 10 kills. Lawrence and Merrick blocked four attacks to lead Bard while adding eight kills apiece. Charles had eight kills in four sets in addition to three blocks. Beer had seven kills, while De La Cruz put together a nice game with 22 assists, 11 digs, six kills, and three aces. 

Defensively, Small led the Raptors with 23 digs, adding four assists. Flittie had 14 digs, tying a career-high, also contributing four kills and two aces in the effort. Rhinehart picked up 10 digs, making it back-to-back matches in double-figures.

The Hawks took the first two sets, forcing Bard into a familiar hole. In the first set at 7-4 Hunter, Bard went on a 5-0 run. However, Hunter took 18 of the next 28 points to end with a convincing win. Set two saw the Raptors hold a lead until 19-15. At that point, the Hawks tied up the score at 19-19 with four straight. Bard squeezed out the next two points, but Hunter dealt with the setback, going on a 6-2 run the rest of the set. 

Bard did an excellent job of limiting errors in the third set, leading to a .276 hitting percentage The Raptors completed a comeback, rallying from ten points down at 19-9. A 9-1 run parlayed with a 7-3 run showcased what the peak of this Bard team can be. Seven of the Raptors' 16 points were kills during the fiery run. 

This continued in the fourth set, with the Raptors slamming down 15 kills en route to another two-point victory. Back-to-back kills set the tone, and Bard was able to come back from six down at 19-13, winning 12 of the final 16 points in the set. The final five points that the Raptors won were point-finishing attacks. The fifth set seesawed back and forth, with a couple of early lead changes. While holding a small 12-11 lead, Hunter ended strong, winning three straight points to finish the lengthy battle.

The Raptors play Sarah Lawrence on the road for their next match Thursday at 7 p.m.


 
Print Friendly Version

Players Mentioned

Grace Charles

#1 Grace Charles

MB
5' 9"
Sophomore
Paola De La Cruz

#0 Paola De La Cruz

S
5' 10"
Sophomore
Annika Flittie

#17 Annika Flittie

OH
5' 8"
Sophomore
Nyla Lawrence

#12 Nyla Lawrence

M/RS
5' 9"
Senior
Carmen Merrick

#5 Carmen Merrick

MB
5' 10"
Sophomore
Ella Small

#18 Ella Small

DS/L
5' 2"
Senior
Becca Wintjen

#13 Becca Wintjen

S/DS
5' 4"
Senior
Alex Beer

#3 Alex Beer

OH
5' 8"
First Year
Ava Rhinehart

#7 Ava Rhinehart

OH/DS
5' 8"
First Year
Fernanda Julian

#14 Fernanda Julian

S/DS
5' 3"
First Year

Players Mentioned

Grace Charles

#1 Grace Charles

5' 9"
Sophomore
MB
Paola De La Cruz

#0 Paola De La Cruz

5' 10"
Sophomore
S
Annika Flittie

#17 Annika Flittie

5' 8"
Sophomore
OH
Nyla Lawrence

#12 Nyla Lawrence

5' 9"
Senior
M/RS
Carmen Merrick

#5 Carmen Merrick

5' 10"
Sophomore
MB
Ella Small

#18 Ella Small

5' 2"
Senior
DS/L
Becca Wintjen

#13 Becca Wintjen

5' 4"
Senior
S/DS
Alex Beer

#3 Alex Beer

5' 8"
First Year
OH
Ava Rhinehart

#7 Ava Rhinehart

5' 8"
First Year
OH/DS
Fernanda Julian

#14 Fernanda Julian

5' 3"
First Year
S/DS