Purchase, NY (Jan. 23, 2018) – The Purchase College men's volleyball season opened tonight at home as the Panthers hosted Brooklyn College.

The season opener for both teams featured plenty of length rallies, but despite a spirited effort by Purchase, the Bulldogs were too strong. Brooklyn posted a 3-0 victory (25-12, 25-19, 25-12).

Brooklyn (1-0) started strong in the opening set, seizing a 7-3 advantage, but as was the case the entire evening, the hosts showed resilience. The Panthers pulled within 10-6 and trailed shortly thereafter 15-9.

However, Brooklyn put together a spurt toward the end of the first set that carried over into the second stanza. The visitors reeled off a 10-3 run at the end of the first set to win 25-12.

In the second set, the Bulldogs led 5-2. Purchase then rebounded, pulling within two, 7-5, and then 8-7 on a nice solo block by Luke Kubisch (JR/Delmar, NY).

Brooklyn then responded with a run of its own, taking a 12-7 and 15-9 advantage before the Panthers challenged once more in a match that was heavy on back-and-forth play. That's when the Panthers got back in the match, outscoring Brooklyn 8-5 to get within 20-17 – their best showing of the match.

But the Bulldogs answered the call again, finishing off the set with a strong run to win 25-19.

In the third, an early lead for Brooklyn translated into a sweep of the match. The visitors led throughout, taking a 4-1 lead and then an 11-3 advantage. Brooklyn utilized a 5-3 run to earn a 16-6 lead before closing out the match on a 25-12 final.

Brooklyn was paced offensively by Vaughn Titus (14 kills). Michael Valentin handed out a match-high 28 assists for the Bulldogs, while Snigdho Hasan registered 12 digs to spearhead the defensive effort.

The Panthers got a team-high five kills from Kubisch. Newcomer Christian Colon (FR/Bronx, NY) added four kills, two aces and two digs in his first collegiate action. The rookie was a bright spot, along with Kubisch and fellow returner Andreo Otiniano (SO/Mamaroneck, NY). Otiniano finished with three kills, a team-best 11 assists and nine digs – second in that category to leader Christopher Williams (SR/Valley Stream, NY), who shared the match high with Hasan.

Purchase (0-1) will look to bounce back on Feb. 6 at Lehman College.