ANNANDALE-ON-HUDSON, Ny. – The Wilkes men's volleyball team traveled to Bard College on Saturday afternoon, earning a pair of four-set victories over the host Raptors and Mount Aloysius College.

With the tri-match sweep, Wilkes improves to 9–9 overall on the season. Bard moves to 6-9, while Mount Aloysius falls to 1-17 overall.

Game 1: Wilkes, Bard, 
The Colonels opened the day with a four-set victory over the Bard Raptors, 25-19, 19-25, 25-18, and 25-22.

Wilkes came out strong in the opening frame, jumping to a quick 5-1 advantage with multiple Colonels finding the floor offensively. Bard answered to tie the set at six, but the Colonels responded with another 5-1 run to regain control and never looked back, cruising to the 25-19 win.

Set two unfolded differently, with both teams trading points through the first 13 rallies. The Raptors were the first to create separation with a 3-1 stretch. Wilkes trimmed the deficit to one, but Bard followed with a 7-3 run to secure the 25-19 set victory and even the match.

Bard carried momentum into the third, building a 6-3 lead before the Colonels battled back to tie the score at nine. Wilkes then seized control with a decisive 7-2 run, highlighted by strong net play from Aidan Amon, Aaron Ladd (Souderton, PA/Pennridge), and Joshua Conley (Chalfont, PA/Central Bucks South). The Colonels added a 5-2 push late to close out the set 25-18.

In the fourth and final set, Wilkes used a 4-1 run to take an early 7-3 edge and maintained the lead through much of the frame. Bard surged ahead 20-18 following a 5-1 run, but the advantage was short-lived. The Colonels answered with a decisive 7-2 stretch to secure the 25-22 set win, as Aidan Hunter (Sinking Spring, PA/Wilson), Logan Maha (Sayville, NY/Sayville), and Johnnathan Rocha (Wilkes Barre, PA/Holy Redeemer) each delivered key kills down the stretch.

Maha led the attack with 12 kills, followed closely by Hunter with 11. Conley orchestrated the offense with a team-high 38 assists, while Sam Winter (Whitehouse Station, NJ/Hunterdon Central) anchored the back row with 17 digs.

The Raptors' Ansel Waisler recorded a double-double with a team-high kills (15) and digs (12) while Pearse Esposito led the team in assists with 20.

Game 2: Wilkes 3, Mount Aloysius 1

Wilkes closed out the tri-match with a four-set victory over the Mount Aloysius Mounties, 25-20, 25-20, 23-25, and 25-16.

In the opening set, the Colonels created separation with a 6-1 run to take a 12-6 advantage. Joshua Conley (Chalfont, PA/Central Bucks South) recorded two kills during the stretch, while Aaron Ladd (Souderton, PA/Pennridge) added a kill and an ace and Aidan Amon contributed a kill and a service ace. Wilkes maintained control, later using an 8-4 run highlighted by two service aces from Aidan Hunter (Sinking Spring, PA/Wilson)  to move within five points of the set win before closing it out 25-20.

Set two began evenly, with both teams trading points through the first 11 rallies. Wilkes was the first to pull away, using a 6-3 run sparked by a kill and ace from Zach Sheaffer (Lancaster, PA/Manheim Township) and two kills from Logan Berger (Bath, PA/Northampton). Four unanswered points pushed the Colonels to the brink, and kills from Sheaffer and James Brust (Clarks Summit, PA/Abington Heights) secured the 25-20 second-set victory.

Wilkes carried momentum into the third, leading early and holding the advantage through the middle stages. Mount Aloysius responded with a 5-1 run to tie the set at 17. The Colonels briefly regained the lead with a 3-0 push, but the Mounties answered with a decisive 5-1 stretch to claim the set 25-23.

In the fourth, the teams battled evenly through the first nine points before Wilkes erupted for a commanding 15-5 run to move within one point of the match. During the surge, Rocha, Maha, Amon, and Conley each recorded kills, while Hunter and Alex Derk (Perkasie, PA/Pennridge) added service aces. Mount Aloysius picked up two late points, but Amon delivered the final kill to seal the 25-16 set win and the match.

Amon led the Colonels with 13 kills, followed by Sheaffer with 10. Conley (21) and Brust (18) paced the team in assists, while Derk anchored the defense with 11 digs.

Brady Diegelman led the Mounties with nine kills and eight digs, while Connor O'Mealia recorded a team-high 22 assists.

The Colonels return to their home court on Wednesday, February 25 as they take on Wilson College for their Morgan's Message Game at 7:00 p.m.