With high spirited Drew fans energizing the team, the Rangers posted a resounding victory over Bard College to celebrate their senior day, defeating the Raptors three sets to zero in an electric match-up for their final home match of the season.
Before the match, the Rangers honored their lone senior: setter and outside hitter Omarf Ortega-Reyes (‘24). A member of the volleyball team since its inaugural season in 2022, Ortega-Reyes came to Drew from San Juan, Puerto Rico and has been a valuable player to the team throughout his collegiate career.
This season, Ortega-Reyes led the Rangers to the most wins thus far in team history; last season, he recorded the program’s first and only triple-double by posting 12 kills, 14 assists and 10 digs against Bard. His career highlights include 662 assists, 332 digs, 331 kills, 61 blocks and 53 aces across 56 matches.
Ortega-Reyes led the way to victory in the senior day match against the Raptors, showing his prowess on the court by posting seven kills, three aces and 22 assists over the course of the three sets.
Also putting in strong performances for Drew were Andrew DuHaime (‘26), who turned in 10 kills and three aces, and Ephraim Smith (‘25), who posted four kills and three aces.
Drew never trailed in points at any point during the match, jumping to an early lead in the first set and exhibiting a commanding presence on the court. With a 10-1 run in the middle, the Rangers closed out the first set 25-15.
The second set kicked off with a stretch of back-and-forth scoring between the two teams until Drew pulled ahead with a three-point streak to regain their lead. A six-point run displayed the Rangers’ dominance over Bard, and the set ended 25-18.
The final set delivered a definitive blow to the Raptors; Drew won 25-9 to conclude their formidable performance.
Despite the discrepancy in points, Bard put up a strong performance against the Rangers. Both teams presented formidable defenses, with a number of powerful blocks coming from each side amidst several long rallies.
The Rangers return to the court when they face off against Hood College and King’s College in a tri-match on Saturday.
Charlotte Wells is a senior majoring in French and English with a writing and communication studies concentration and minoring in humanities.
