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BETHLEHEM, Pa. - It would be hard to imagine a better way for Lafayette to start its Patriot League season. Beginning on the road against archrival Lehigh, the Leopards dominated from the opening point and cruised to a 3-0 sweep Wednesday night.

Set scores were 25-22, 25-17, 25-19, and Lafayette never trailed more than seven points into any set. The Leopards (9-3, 1-0 PL) won their fourth-straight match, while the Mountain Hawks (7-8, 0-1 PL) have now lost four straight. Brianne Giangiobbe led the way with 11 kills, including kills on the final two points of the match, while Katherine Stevens added seven kills and four blocks.

"I thought our attitude and confidence displayed on the court was amazing from point one until match point," head coach Terri Dadio Campbell said. "Our seniors displayed exceptional leadership. Lehigh is always a very strong opponent, but I just think we did a lot of really good things and it showed in the results."

Tonight's win was the first for the Maroon and White in the series since 2009, and it was the first straight-set victory since Sept. 28, 2007.

Lafayette set the tone early on, winning seven of the first nine points of the match to force an early Lehigh timeout. The Mountain Hawks briefly rallied to within two points at 14-12, but four-straight points, capped by an ace from Jet Manzi, gave the Leopards breathing room once again. Manzi had three aces overall, upping her Patriot League-leading total to 28 for the season.

Trailing 24-16, Lehigh rattled off six points in a row to get within two, but Elizabeth Walsh delivered one of her eight kills on the match to wrap up the set.

The Mountain Hawks won the first point of set number two, but that would be their only lead in the frame, as Lafayette took the next six points and maintained its advantage throughout.

Facing an early 4-3 deficit in the third set, the Leopards had another four-point streak, this time capped by back-to-back kills from Tori Smith, to take a lead that they would never surrender. The Maroon and White had a team attack percentage of .400 in the final set, with a final match attack rate of .306.

Lauren Pisauro continued her streak of reaching double-digit digs in every match this season, leading the visitors with 16 for the evening. Kelly Flynn chipped in three block assists, and Lafayette had a 10-4 edge in blocks overall.

"Our goals were to have a strong blocking presence and really attack them with our serve," Dadio Campbell said. "And I think both of those aspects of our game were consistent from beginning to end."

The Leopards continue a busy week of conference play with two matches at Kirby Sports Center this weekend, beginning with a 7 p.m. tilt against two-time defending Patriot League champions American on Friday night.