PURCHASE, N.Y. - The Purchase College men's volleyball team was defeated by the Gryphons of Sarah Lawrence College Tuesday night, falling in straight sets in the Skyline Conference battle.

Set scores for the contest were 25-23, 25-14 and 25-23.

With the result, the Panthers dropped to 1-7 overall and 0-2 in the league. Meanwhile, Sarah Lawrence improved to 3-7 and 1-0, respectively.

The night started with some back-and-forth action, as the two sides traded points to an early 6-6 tie in the opening set. The Gryphons managed to create some breathing room by scoring eight of the next nine points to jump ahead, 14-7.

Despite the deficit, the Panthers rallied to get back within two points twice midway through the set, but couldn't quite get the contest tied up again.

Over the final points, Purchase trimmed the margin to just a single point twice, 22-21 and 24-23, before a kill gave the guests the opening frame win. 

Following the tough set, the Gryphons flipped the script in the middle frame and rolled to a 25-14 win, as Sarah Lawrence used 10-point run to sink the hosts early.

While the middle frame wasn't close, the third and final set played out like a mirror image of the opening set, before the guests prevailed, 25-23. 

After falling behind early, Purchase reeled off six-straight points to gain the led at 8-6. The Panthers then held the lead or a tie over the next handful of points until Sarah Lawrence pulled ahead for good at 12-11. 

From there, the deficit was went above four points for the Panthers, as they remained unable to retake the lead. During the final stretch, Purchase got within a single point four times, but ultimately fell on the final serve. 

Individually, the hosts were powered by Jeremiah Huntt (SR/Bronx, NY) and his season-high 17 kills. Huntt also collected seven digs and three aces. 

Elsewhere, Joe Higgins (SR/Bayside, NY) added nine kills and nine digs, while Idris Idris (JR/Bronx, NY) collected 26 assists in the loss. 

For Sarah Lawrence, Nate Davis (SO/Los Angeles, CA) recorded a game-high 33 kills in the win. 

Up next for Purchase is a rematch with the Gryphons, this time at Sarah Lawrence on March 3rd. That contest is set to begin at 7 p.m. and you can follow it here.