The Bard College men's volleyball team dropped a weekday match against the Sage Gators on Wednesday evening, 3-0.  

Ansel Waisler had eight kills and seven digs, which both were team-highs. Lincoln Grisso contributed seven kills on .429 hitting, three digs, and a block. Sidney Stein tallied six kills, an assist, and a block. Pearse Esposito posted 12 assists, four digs, and two kills. 

Damiel Batista chipped in a kill and a dig. Zach Butler set a new career-high in aces, with four, and added a dig. Amadeo Pinto had a dig, while Gideon Jacob totalled seven assists. 

The Raptors were able to hang on in the opening frame despite the Gators outkilling them 15-3. A pivotal moment came with Bard winning 9-8, when Sage went on an 8-3 run to go up by four. Bard got back within one at 17-18, but the Gators closed on a 7-3 surge. 

Both teams hit 11 kills in the second set, but Sage was able to limit its errors to just two, allowing them to hit .500. Bard started out competitive, only down at 6-7 when the Gators created some distance with a 6-1 run. Sage continued to keep Bard at arm's length, finishing it off with a kill to win by eight points.

In the third set, Sage went on a 5-1 run to begin play. Bard was able to tie it up at 9-9 just a few moments later. From there the set was played on even terms, with the Raptors taking their first lead in the set at 13-12. At 18-17, the Raptors were close to starting a comeback two sets to zero down, but Sage finished the sweep after winning seven of the last ten points.

Bard starts NEVC play on Saturday with a tri-match at Potsdam, plus a non-conference match versus Houghton. Play starts at noon.