The Bard College men's volleyball team traveled to Emmanuel for a tri-match on Saturday afternoon. The Raptors fell to the Saints in straight sets, while the match against Elms went to five sets. 

Ansel Waisler led the team with 36 kills, including 23 kills against Elms and a .324 hit percentage against Elms. Sidney Stein contributed 22 kills, including 14 against Elms. He also tied his career-high with 16 digs against Elms. Pearse Esposito totaled 60 assists, including a new career-high of 46 assists against Elms. 

Gideon Jacob and Amadeo Pinto each got a career-high against Elms, with 12 digs for Jacob and Pinto having 11. Lincoln Grisso led the team with seven blocks and added 14 kills on the day. 

Bard will face Drew on Thursday before hosting their home opener on Saturday against Purchase and Hartwick. 

Emmanuel 3, Bard 0 

In the first set, Emmanuel came out hot with a 13-7 lead. Bard got within three at 18-15 with back-to-back errors from Emmanuel. The Saints went on a 5-0 run to get within three points of set point, but the Raptors stopped the bleed with a kill from Stein and then Butler to get within five points. However, EC found a way to finish the set with a double block. 

The second set was a back-and-forth battle, with the Raptors nearly taking the second set with two set points at 25-24 and 26-25. In the third set, the momentum shifted back to Emmanuel's side early in the set, taking a 9-6 lead. Bard tied the game back at 10-10, and it was a back-and-forth affair. At 15-15, EC went on a 10-2 run to get seven match points. Bard saved two match points with a kill and then a block from Esposito. 

Waisler led the team with 13 kills and hit .324 with only two errors. He added nine digs. Stein contributed with eight kills, while Esposito added seven kills and 14 assists. Pinto had six digs, and Chikolov added 10 assists. 

Elms 3, Bard 2

Elms took an early lead in the first set, going up 7-4. Bard switched gears and went on a 13-3 run to go 17-10 up. The Blazers got within one of the Raptors before Bard went on an 8-4 run to finish the set. 

In the second set, both teams were back and forth. At 22-23, Bard had back-to-back aces that came from Zachary Butler to set up a set point. Elms fought back with a 5-2 run to clinch the second set 28-26. 
Elms came in the third set with momentum, as they opened it up 13-8. Bard fought back, going on an 8-4 run to get within one point of the Blazers. The Raptors closed in on the Blazers with a 9-2 run and took a 2-1 lead.  

The fourth set was similar to the third, with Elms taking an early lead and Bard playing catch-up. However, the Blazers kept their momentum and took the fourth set 25-22. At 3-3 in the fifth set, Elms won three consecutive points to have some cushion, which helped them keep a point-lead that ultimately helped them with the decisive set.