AURORA, NY – The Vermont State University Johnson men's volleyball team traveled to Aurora, NY for a tri-match against Bard College and host, Wells College, on Saturday afternoon. The young program faced Bard College in the first matchup of the year, showing resiliency through each set. In the opening set, the Johnson Badgers kept the Raptors within one point at 15-14, until a 6-0 run from Bard widened the gap, ultimately concluding the set with a score of 25-17 in Bard's favor. The second and third sets found Johnson facing set point at 24-16 and 24-17, respectively, when the Badgers proved they would not go down without a fight, going on two impressive runs to stay alive. These sets would still be dropped 25-20 each, resulting in a 3-0 sweep from Bard.

Sophomore Luke Walters posted game-leading 14 points and 10 kills, alongside his seven assists and three aces. Walters was joined by sophomore teammate, Sam Munson, who contributed seven assists of his own.

The Badgers returned to the court later in the afternoon to face the Wells College Express. The Badgers struck first, after an attack error by Wells in the opening play. The two teams remained evenly matched through the first set at 16 apiece, until Wells went on a 6-0 run to bring the score to 22-16. The two would trade points for the remainder of the opening set, ending with a 25-18 score in Wells' favor. Following a controlled second set, which Wells took 25-14, the Badgers returned with fight in the third. The two playing evenly, mirroring each other's runs and trading the lead through much of the third. The Badgers held a lead through 15 points and kept the Express within two points at 21-23. Wells would go on to wrap up the set 25-21 and the game 3-0.

Walters would again led the Badgers with 13 points, 10 kills, and six assists, while Munson added to the mix with 9 assists, 5 kills, and 5 points.

Men's Volleyball is back in action on Saturday, as the Badgers host Fisher College. Tip-offs for the doubleheader are slated for 6 pm and 8 pm.