EASTON, Pa. – Lafayette College volleyball dropped a close five set match to rival Lehigh in their Patriot League opener on Friday.

"We fought for every point, it wasn't an easy match on either side," head coach Ryan Adams said, "Those are the matches we want to be in. They help us grow and get better."

Lafayette (11-6, 0-1) came out strong in the first set, starting off with a 3-0 scoring run and from there, held the lead for the rest of the match. The Mountain Hawks came back to tie it up 24-24 but a kill by sophomore Grace Tulevech and an attack error by Lehigh (8-7, 1-0) gave the Leopards the two points they needed to give them the first set win, 26-24.

The second set saw a more back and forth play. Lafayette got on the board first after a Tulevech kill but from there, the Mountain Hawks would run away with it, pulling out to a 6-4 lead and would take the set 25-14.

With the sets even at one apiece, the Leopards jumped out to a quick lead in the third set and held the lead the rest of the set to take it 25-22. The fourth set would see the same score but in favor of Lehigh to force a 15 point fifth set, the fourth five set game in a row for the Leopards.

The Mountain Hawks dominated from the start, quickly going up 6-2. The Leopards would attempt a comeback late in the set to pull within three but the Mountain Hawks finished it off with a kill to win the set 15-12 and take the match.

Tulevech led the way for the Maroon and White with 15 kills. Sophomore Leanna Deegan finished with 14 and senior Katrina Ruggiero finished with 10. Freshman Ellie Carrera-Justiz was right behind her with nine on the night.

The game itself saw a total of 11 tied scores and only three lead changes throughout the whole match.

"Tonight was the perfect opportunity to show that we are going to push everyone," Adams said.

Lafayette is back in action on Sunday as they continue their hunt for their first Patriot League win of the season. They are set to face Bucknell in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania at 2 p.m.