The Bard College men's volleyball team played cleanly in its weekday meeting against the UMSV Dolphins, winning 24-26, 25-21, 25-9, 25-14 on Thursday evening at Peter Jay Sharp Center. Its 11 errors were the fewest in a four-set match since 2024 against NVU-Johnson.

Sidney Stein led the way offensively and defensively, hitting 13 kills, eight digs, and three blocks, all team-highs. Lincoln Grisso stepped up at the service line, hitting a career-high seven aces. He also had six kills on .308 hitting and two digs. Zach Butler contributed six kills on .417 hitting, two blocks, an ace, and two digs. 

Ansel Waisler played during the three sets in which Bard won, notching five kills on .286 hitting, two assists, and a dig. Georgi Chikolov tallied 18 assists, three digs, and a kill. Gideon Jacob recorded 11 assists, six digs, and an ace. Damiel Batista collected three kills on .375 hitting and a dig, while Will Beane-Rosenberg had two kills and a block. Amadeo Pinto was the libero, picking up four digs.

In a close first set, neither team led by more than two in the first 18 points. UMSV led by three at 11-8, but Bard knotted it back up shortly after at 12-12. The Dolphins went on a 6-1 run after that to take an 18-13 lead. The Raptors were able to rebound and tie it at 20-20. They fell behind at 21-24, but they showed their resilience, saving three set points to make it 24-24. UMSV took the final two points, narrowly taking the first set 26-24.

Bard evened it up at one set all after another close set. The Raptors had a 5-0 run early to lead 5-2. UMSV would rally and gain a 16-10 advantage. Bard won nine of the next 12 points to tie it at 19-19. The score remained tied after four more points at 21-21, but that was when the Raptors erupted for four straight points in the clutch, with kills from Grisso, Stein, and Waisler to finish the set. Bard did a better job of limiting errors, with three attack errors to UMSV's five, and one service error to UMSV's six.

The Raptors were dominant in the third set. They started out on an 8-2 run with two kills from Stein. Shortly after, three straight points to make it 11-3 forced a UMSV timeout. The Dolphins scored first out of the break, but Stein hit back-to-back aces and Bard gained a 15-4 lead. At 19-8, the Raptors won six of the next seven points to win a crucial third set. The Raptors completed the match with another stellar set in the fourth. They drew first blood, going on an 8-3 run to make it 10-5. Then, at 11-7, Bard turned on the jets, winning 11 of the next 12 points to gain an insurmountable 22-8 advantage.

The Raptors played in a variety of positions tonight, showcasing their versatility.

Bard faces Emmanuel and Elms Saturday in a tri-match at Emmanuel that starts at 11 a.m.