PURCHASE, N.Y. - The Purchase College women's volleyball team was defeated by Saint Elizabeth University Monday night, falling in straight sets to the non-conference foe.

Set scores for the contest were 27-25, 25-22 and 25-17. With the loss, the Panthers dropped to 1-6 overall. For the Eagles, the win was the first of year (1-7).

Despite the nature of the three-set sweep, the two sides played a tight match throughout. In the first set alone, the biggest margin for either side was just four points, as the lead changed 12 times throughout.

With the back-and-forth action pacing the two squads, the set remained tight until the the very end. After falling behind, 22-18, Purchase responded by scoring six of the next seven points to push the match to set point, 24-23.

The guests answered the call though, scoring two-straight points to flip the set-point advantage the other way, 25-24, before a kill from Lilith Bastek-Ochoa (SO/Sag Harbor, NY) tied the contest at 25-all.

Sadly, the guests managed another response by scoring twice more to steal the frame, 27-25.

In set two, Saint Elizabeth used an early advantage to set the tempo, turning a 4-4 game into a 12-5 advantage. The guests held the lead the rest of the way, extending it to as many as nine points, before a Purchase rally late made things interesting.

After trailing 20-11, the Panthers cut the deficit to just one point, 23-22, before ultimately succumbing to the guests, 25-22.

The final set of the night played out similarly to the second, as the Eagles raced out to an early lead. However, this time there was no comeback attempt from the Panthers, as the guests secured the frame, 25-17, to complete the win. 

On the night, Purchase finished with 23 kills and -.021 hitting percentage as a team. 

Individually, Lauren White (JR/Washington, DC) led the squad with six kills, two aces and seven digs.

Bastek-Ochoa recorded a team-high five aces and nine digs, while Samantha Fasce (SR/Yorktown Heights, NY) tallied 15 assists, seven digs and four kills.

Up next for the Panthers is more non-conference home action, as they host Baruch College on September 22nd at 7 p.m. You can follow it here.