BRONX, N.Y. - The Purchase College men's volleyball team was defeated by Lehman College Monday night, dropping the non-conference matchup in straight sets.

Set scores for the contest were 25-11, 25-19 and 25-18. With the result, the Panthers dropped to 1-3 overall, while the Lightning moved to 2-1.

In the opening set, Lehman used an early start by scoring four of the first five points to jump in front, and never looked back.

Set two played out much more evenly between the two sides, as Purchase and Lehman each held the lead beyond the midway point. 

However, with the score tied at 17-all, the hosts embarked on an 8-2 scoring run to snatch the frame away from the Panthers.

During the final set, it was the guests that paced play early this time, jumping out to their biggest advantage of the night, 9-5.

But just like in the previous set, Lehman responded with authority and reeled off a game-altering 10-1 run to flip the four-point deficit into a five-point lead, 15-10.

From there, Purchase managed to trim the margin to just a single point, 17-16, before one final run from the hosts sunk the Panthers for good.

On the night, the Blue and Orange hit .052 overall and collected 14 kills. Sophomore Marcus Garguilo (Port Washington, NY) recorded nearly half of those kills, finishing with six.

Luca Spadinger (FR/Loudonville, NY) added three kills and a game-high 13 digs, while Idris Idris (SR/Bronx, NY) tallied 11 assists.

The match was the second time these two teams had faced each other in 2023, as Lehman swept Purchase back on January 21 at the Wilkes tri-match.

Up next for the Panthers is a quick turnaround, as the squad is back in action tomorrow (January 31) at Pratt Institute at 7 p.m.