Box Score

Purchase, NY (Feb. 27, 2013) – A back-and-forth match deserved one final set Wednesday night at Purchase, and the hometown faithful certainly got its money worth, as the Panthers and the College of Mount Saint Vincent went the distance.

Unfortunately for the hosts and their home crowd, the Dolphins would prevail in five sets, winning 20-25, 25-16, 29-27, 19-25, 15-13. CMSV (3-9 overall, 3-5 Skyline Conference) outlasted the feisty Panthers, who rebounded from an earlier season sweep at the hands of the Dolphins, to push CMSV to the brink in a rematch that could have gone either way, with the visitors narrowly upending Purchase 15-13 in the final set.

Although Purchase would win the opening set, CMSV countered with a win in the second and third sets, utilizing a big swing set in the third as the two continued to swap alternating opportunities to close out the set unsuccessfully.

The Panthers rebounded from a 20-15 deficit in the first set for a 25-20 win, but watched as the Dolphins went on a roll in the second and third sets, capturing the all important third set by two points.

However, Purchase showed its resilience – yet again – despite the final outcome, forcing a fifth set with a bounce back win in the fourth.

In the end, the see-saw contest came down to the wire and CMSV would rally in the decisive set for the victory.

The Dolphins were led by two in double figures offensively. Brett Holiday and Dylan Lolli recorded 18 and 11 kills, respectively. Setter James DiGiovanni handed out 29 assists in the win for the visitors.

Purchase drops to 1-9 overall and is still looking for its first conference win (0-3 Skyline).

In defeat, the Panthers were paced by Kevon Kareem Bruce (JR/Hayes, Jamaica), who totaled 16 kills. He and Taylor Edelmann (SR/Bethel, CT) served up several highlights on the offensive side. Edelmann added nine kills in the loss. Setter Alex Billen-Calhoun (SR/Niskayuna, NY) finished with a match-high 32 assists.

Now, the Panthers will look to get back on the winning track this weekend when they travel to CMSV for a tri-match.