The Bard College men's volleyball team faced Elmira for a double-header on Saturday afternoon to start their 2026 season.

The first match the Raptors were led by Ansel Waisler who had eight total kills, five digs, and three blocks. Sidney Stein followed with six total kills, two aces, four digs, and three blocks. 

Lincoln Grisso contributed three total kills, an ace, and two blocks. Evan McMahon made his first collegiate appearance and led in digs with eight total digs and two kills. Setter, Pearse Esposito dished out 16 total assists, six digs, and three blocks. Zach Butler had a match-high seven blocks.

The Raptors started the first set on even terms with the Soaring Eagles. Bard's largest lead was four, at 8-4. Elmira also had a four-point lead at 17-13 after a 13-5 run. The Raptors kept this back and forth up at 22-23, tying it with a block by Sidney Stein and Zachary Butler making the score 23-23. However it was a kill and block by the Eagles that closed out the first set

The Raptors finished the first set with seven kills. Sidney Stein led the Raptors during the first set with three. Bard led in the service aces category, 2-0.

In the second set, the Eagles took an early five-point lead, bringing the score to 2-7. The Raptors broke the streak with Ansel Waisler getting a kill. Bard chipped away and made it 10-13. Elmira, however, kept the momentum and widened the lead  at the end of the set to win it 19-25. Bard slowly increased their attack attempts from 27 total attempts to 38 attempts in the second set. he Raptors focused on defending, creating four total blocks compared to Elmira's two.

In the third set, the Raptors were feeling the pressure, allowing the Eagles to take the first point of the set. This allowed the Eagles to find their rhythm and quickly take control of the game going 10 kills to Bard's three kills. Elmira were first to reach the 20 point mark and were leading with a 8+ point difference. The Raptors slowed down which helped with less attack errors compared to the Eagles. 

During the second game the Raptors dropped the first two sets until they broke the streak. They won the third set, only to fall in the fourth set. 

Ansel Waisler led with 15 total kills and five digs. Sidney Stein added nine total kills, seven digs, and an ace. 

Lincoln Grisso had six total kills, two aces, two digs, and a block. Pearse Esposito got a double-double with four total kills, 30 assists, 13 digs, and two aces. 

In set one, the Raptors were matching pace going kill for kill against the Eagles up until 5-6. The Eagles quickly used a 4-0 run  to take a 9-5 lead. Bard got back-to-back points, but a 6-0 Elmira run led to the Eagles taking the first set.

The Raptors were feeling the impact from the first set and let the Eagles score seven of the first ten points until Ansel Waisler stopped them with a kill of his own. With momentum building and the Eagles having more attacking errors the Raptors were able to catch up. Bard made it to a three point difference with the score being 20-23. However that wasn't enough and the Eagles ended the set with a kill and took a 2-0 lead in the match.

After getting within three points in the previous set, the Raptors started to flow and opened the third set with a block from Lincoln Grisso, letting Bard take the first point. However Elmira went point for point and overtook Bard making the score 9-11. After that, the Raptors turned it around and went on a 7-1 run, which boosted morale and allowed the Raptors to finally take a set in the second game after a final kill by Ansel Waisler. 

The Eagles reset in the fourth, getting two blocks and gathering 12 kills. The Raptors would reach 12 kills of their own. The comeback fell short, as Bard could not win the fourth set. 

The next event for the Raptors is an away game in Riverdale, NY, taking on UMSV on Thursday at 6 p.m.