Box Score

Purchase, NY (Jan. 22, 2013) – The 2013 men's volleyball season opened in thrilling fashion Tuesday night, with host Purchase going the distance in an exciting non-conference contest with local rival Lehman College.

When the dust cleared, the Lightning, which were also playing their season-opening match, prevailed in a five-set marathon, winning 21-25, 25-19, 25-9, 23-25, 15-7.

Lehman, an up-and-coming squad from the CUNY conference, fell behind in the first set as the Panthers came out hitting on all cylinders under first-year head coach Tom Callahan. Although both lineups featured eight players or less, the starters battled in a back-and-forth affair.

Purchase (0-1) got on the board first, earning a hard-fought 25-21 margin in the opening set. A kill by Taylor Edelmann (SR/Bethel, CT) tied the score at 3-3 after the Panthers opened down 0-1. Purchase added two more points, but Lehman countered and made it 5-5 behind a pair of consecutive scores. Lehman would then take the lead, 6-5, before Kevon Kareem Bruce (JR/Hayes, Jamaica) responded with a midcourt spike from the side.

Edelmann would float a nice ball to the middle shortly later as Purchase kept coming in the opening set. Edelmann's kill pushed the narrow lead to 9-8.

Defensive specialist and libero Thomas DeCarlo (JR/Glen Cove, NY) scored a point shortly after on a nice touch of his own to give Purchase a 10-8 lead. The score would be tied several times more over the first set, with set scores of 13-13, 14-14 before Purchase pulled away. A second kill by Kareem Bruce set the stage for a late flurry of points by the Panthers.

With the Panthers riding high after the first set win, Lehman regrouped under its new coaching staff and came out clicking in the second set. The Lightning led 5-3, but the Panthers regrouped and reeled off three straight points for an 8-5 advantage.

Purchase would go on to lead 11-10 and then 15-13 before Lehman duplicated the Panthers' late run in the first in the second set, capturing a 25-19 win. The Lightning parlayed that performance into a commanding 25-9 third-set win, where the Panthers played their poorest on the evening.

Purchase responded with a much improved set in the fourth, battling in another see-saw set and pushing the match to a deciding fifth set, 25-23.

In the end, the Panthers would fall short in the final set. They failed to record a kill and lost 15-7 in the last frame.

In the process, Lehman improved to 1-0.

For the Panthers, they were led by setter Alex Billen-Calhoun (SR/Niskayuna, NY) and his 29 assists. Bruce led the way with 11 kills. Edelmann added eight kills and 13 digs. Bruce finished with a double-double (11 kills and 26 assists). Mateo Morel (SR/Bronx, NY) chipped in with nine digs. Jeromy Barton (SR/Mahopac, NY) totaled 12 digs, one service ace and two kills. DeCarlo finished the night with four kills, six digs and two assists.

The Panthers will look to build off the five-set thriller next time out, when they return to action on the road against Brooklyn College on Jan. 31.