BRONXVILLE, N.Y.—Despite taking the opening set of the match, Sarah Lawrence College women's volleyball was defeated by Purchase College, 3-1, in a non-conference match at Noyes Court at Campbell Sports Center on Tuesday.

Though Purchase (3-2) took an early lead, Sarah Lawrence (1-4) evened the score and led the opening set, 11-8. The Gryphons extended their lead at 18-13 and built their largest advantage at 24-16 before closing out the 25-18 set.

The second set saw a six-point SLC run erase an early Purchase lead. The Panthers gained momentum halfway through the set, as a 12-12 stalemate turned into a 25-14 second-set rout.

With the teams tied at one set apiece, the squads again played evenly to a 12-12 draw in the third set. A string of five unanswered points for the visitors proved critical, as the Panthers clinched the set, 25-19.

In the fourth set, a 6-1 Purchase run converted an 11-11 deadlock into a 17-12 advantage for the visitors. PC scored five of the last six points of the match, clinching the win with a 25-18 set.

SLC's Kitty O'Sullivan (Los Angeles, Calif./Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy) led the team with nine kills and anchored the defense with 10 digs. Setter Janet Tonyan (McHenry, Ill./McHenry) totaled 20 assists and picked up nine digs. Sophomore Jomana Abdallah (Los Angeles, Calif./Fairmont Prep Academy) scored seven kills, while rookie Clarisse Taboy (Ras Tanura, Saudi Arabia/George School) served up five aces.

For Purchase, Alex Lally had a match-high 16 kills and five aces, while Alicia McCarthy tallied 13 kills. Cathryn Mulvey recorded 10 digs, and setter Olivia Schoeller had 29 assists.

SLC women's volleyball hosts NYU-Poly on Thursday at 7 p.m. The Gryphons then host the 2013 SLC Volleyball Invitational on Saturday and Sunday with action beginning at 11 a.m. both days.