The Bard College women's volleyball team could not defeat the Utica Pioneers at Oswego State on Friday evening, 11-25, 11-25, 22-25.
Bard was led in digs by
Fernanda Julian and
Penelope Joosten Lingo, who each broke into double figures with 11. Julian added nine assists, two aces, and a kill, while Joosten Lingo tallied a kill and an assist. Joosten Lingo has now reached double-digit digs in three straight matches.
Paola De La Cruz recorded four assists, second to Julian.
Isis Pribble had a team-high two aces, adding eight digs, two blocks, and two kills.
Gia Gomez contributed two blocks, three kills, and a dig.
Xenia Vassou posted four kills, two digs, and a block.
Nala Roman also tied Vassou with four kills and a block while adding a dig. Also in on the defensive effort were
Ninni Ylenius and
Ava Rhinehart, each with nine digs.
In the first set, Utica went ahead 4-0 before Bard scored its first point off a block from Gomez and Pribble. The Pioneers went on to win the next five. Bard went on a 4-0 run capped off by an ace from Pribble. At 14-8 Utica, the Pioneers took control with a 10-1 surge. Bard saved two set points before the eventual end of the frame.
Bard got seven kills in the second compared to Utica's five, but errors stopped the Raptors from knotting up the match. A quick 6-1 start from Utica proved tough to overcome. At 8-2, the Raptors chipped away with back-to-back scores, including Joosten Lingo's first career kill. The Pioneers went on to win eight of the next nine points, bringing the score to 16-5. At 17-8, Utica continued to apply pressure, finishing the second on an 8-3 run.
The Raptors got off to a better start in the third, with a 4-3 lead in large part to kills from Rhinehart and Pribble. Utica answered with five straight points, making it 8-4, but Bard got back within striking distance with three straight. Another run from Utica made it 16-9, but the Raptors proved resilient with a 6-0 run to get within one at 16-15. Bard continued to make it a competitive set with kills from
Alex Beer, Gomez, and Roman, making it 19-18 Bard. That was where the Pioneers found their rhythm, closing the match on a 7-3 surge.
Next up for Bard are two matches at Oswego tomorrow – one against the hosts, and one versus Alfred. Play starts at 10 a.m.
