JERSEY CITY, N.J. – Purchase College started its final stretch of the regular season conference matches with a 3-0 victory over St. Joseph's College (Brooklyn), but the Panthers later lost to host New Jersey City University in three sets during a Skyline Conference men's volleyball tri-match Saturday at the John J. Moore Athletic Center.

Match One: Purchase 3, St. Joe's 0 (25-11, 25-16, 25-21)
Panther senior Jeremiah Huntt (Bronx, NY) notched his second double-double of the season, leading Purchase with 17 kills and 18 digs. Senior Joe Higgins (Bayside, NY) collected 13 kills on 23 attempts with just two errors for a team-leading .478 attacking percentage. Higgins tallied eight digs and teamed up with Huntt and freshman Marcus Garguilo (Port Washington, NY) for nine total aces.

Garguilo was flawless for the Panther offense, netting 11 kills on 24 attempts without a single error (.458). The rookie standout also led all defensive players with three solo blocks. Junior setter Idris Idris (Bronx, NY) finished with 38 assists and seven digs, while senior Dan McDonough (East Hampton, NY) and freshman Mario Olmedo (Elmhurst, NY) notched a pair of kills each. Freshman libero Jasper Zeray (Brooklyn, NY) collected eight digs, while Olmedo had six.

Purchase broke the match's scoring ice with a Huntt kill off the feed from Idris. Both teams followed with a trio of unanswered points before the Panther offense ignited with a 13-5 run to open up a 17-8 advantage.

Two SJC errors, a Garguilo kill and three Huntt service aces led to seven unanswered points for PC as the Panthers closed the set, 25-11, for the win.

The second set remained close throughout until Purchase took a 13-13 tie and turned it into a dominating 25-16 victory. Higgins highlighted the 12-3 run with five kills and an ace.  

In the third set, SJC used four unanswered points to even the score at 11 apiece. After the two teams traded points on the next serveal plays, Purchase fired in a 6-0 run to jump ahead 20-13.

The Bears answered with a run of their own to come with three points of the Panthers (20-17), but Purchase stayed strong and held on for the 25-21 win.

Match Two: NJCU 3, Purchase 0 (25-15, 25-8, 25-15)
In the tri-match finale, host NJCU held the advantage in kills (36-13), aces (14-2) and digs (27-24) over Purchase. Gothic Knight junior Chris Castillo led with a career-high 13 kills.
 
Meanwhile, Higgins topped the Panthers with nine kills (.300) and five digs. Huntt added four kills and a team-best six digs, and teamed up with Olmedo for one block. McDonough notched a pair of aces and three digs, while Idris dished out 10 assists for the Panther lineup.

Up Next
Purchase (4-14, 3-7 SKY) will close out its 2022 regular season road slate with a pair of Skyline matches this week. The Panthers will face Yeshiva University on Tuesday at 8 p.m. followed by a trip to Brooklyn, NY on Thursday for a 7 p.m. match hosted by St. Joe's.