ANNANDALE-ON-HUDSON, N.Y. – The Bard College men's volleyball team hosted its alumni day tri-match on Saturday against the Wilkes Colonels and the Mt Aloysius Mounties. The Raptors were defeated by the Colonels in four sets, while Bard swept the Mounties.
Ansel Waisler had 21 kills, two assists, two aces, and 16 digs in the tri-match, notching a 15 kill and 12 dig double-double against Wilkes.
Sidney Stein totalled 18 kills, three assists, three blocks, and 13 digs.
Lincoln Grisso managed 11 kills, two aces, and six digs.
Pearse Esposito posted a double-double against Wilkes, with 20 assists and 12 digs. In total, he recorded nine kills, 30 assists, five aces, and 13 digs.
Damiel Batista contributed five kills, two blocks, and three digs.
Zach Butler hit eight kills, two blocks, and two digs.
Georgi Chikolov was a leader on the floor, with 33 assists, five aces, and seven digs.
Gideon Jacob came off the bench and had three digs. Amadeo Pinto stockpiled 19 digs.
Reza Afzali played against Mt Aloysius and collected four kills, an assist, an ace, and a dig.
Bard hosts Elms on Wednesday at 6 p.m.
Bard 1, Wilkes 3
Wilkes didn't show any tired legs from the bus ride, leading 5-1 and forcing an early Bard timeout. Overall, the Colonels hit .370 in the first set en route to the six-point victory. Waisler, Stein, and Grisso each had three kills in the frame while Pinto recorded four digs.
In the second set, Bard had an infusion of energy, especially from Batista, who struck three kills in the frame. After a 10-10 start to the set, Bard won back-to-back points. Wilkes tied it once more at 13-13, but the Raptors took control during a 12-6 run that allowed Bard to tie the match at a set apiece. Pinto continued to defend well with four digs.
The Raptors had a 9-6 lead in the third set on the back of strong play on the outside by Waisler and Stein. However, Wilkes went on an extended 19-9 run the rest of the frame in response. Wilkes continued to play confidently and ramped up the aggression in the fourth set, hitting 16 kills. Bard forced a 20-20 tie in the late stages, but clutch play from the Colonels was the difference.
Bard 3, Mt Aloysius 0
In the first set, the Mounties had a 4-0 head start. The lead increased to seven at 11-4 before the Raptors went on a 12-2 run to take a 16-13 lead. Bard led by two at 18-16 when it reeled off four straight points including an ace by Waisler and a kill by Esposito to grab hold of the set. Stein punctuated the frame with a kill.
Bard hit .500 in the second set, with 13 kills, just two errors, and 22 total attempts. The set was tied at six apiece when the Raptors emerged from the rubble during an 11-4 outburst. Mt Aloysius made its best efforts to come back at 22-13, winning four of the next five points, but the Raptors only needed one set point to close it out at 25-17.
The Mounties did not back down, taking an 11-7 lead nearly midway through the third set. There were five lead changes in the third, as the teams were evenly matched. Mt Aloysius had a 22-21 lead, but Bard rattled off four straight points to secure the sweep. The Raptors were able to limit their service errors to just one in the set, while Mt Aloysius racked up five. Afzali totalled four kills in the third set for Bard, leading the Raptors in that frame.
