The St. Lawrence University volleyball team posted two 3-0 wins against Gordon College and Worchester Polytechnic Institute to sweep the Plattsburgh State Invitational on Saturday afternoon in Plattsburgh, New York.

Match 1 vs. Gordon College (St. Lawrence 3, Gordon 0)

The Saints topped Gordon College in three sets by scores of 25-17, 25-11 and 25-18.

Natalie Piper led the Saints with 13 kills, while Amanda Teppo and Marissa Parker added 11 and nine, respectively. Reagan Collier-Hogan served up a career-high five aces and recorded 13 digs, while Teppo posted four blocks and Ally Good assisted on 23 plays.

In the first set, the Saints took a 6-2 lead on a kill from Julia Wagner. Teppo increased the Saints lead to 11-8 and Mac Barnes made it 14-10 down the stretch. A 7-2 run and another kill from Barnes gave St. Lawrence a 21-13 advantage. Kelly capped the set, 25-17, with a kill.

An attacking error on the Scottish Lions gave the Saints an early 5-1 lead in the second set. Piper improved the Saints score to 7-3 with a kill a 6-1 run extended the Scarlet and Brown's lead to 16-7. St. Lawrence ended the set on a 7-2 run for the 25-11 win.

In the third set, the Saints jumped out to an impressive 11-4 lead and maintained the advantage for the remainder of the set. Parker finished of the match with a kill and the 25-18 third-set win.

Gordon College was led by Mackenzie Hinds with eight kills, while Jenny Curtiss finished with 11 digs, Ashlyn Gergins recorded 22 assists and Jordan Shaduk posted three blocks.

The Scarlet and Brown held a 48-28 advantage in kills and led the Scottish Lions in services aces (6-2), blocks (6-4) and digs (37-30).

Match 2 vs. Worchester Polytechnic Institute (St. Lawrence 3, WPI 0)

In their second match of the day, the Scarlet and Brown swept WPI after three sets, by scores of 26-24, 25-20 and 25-18.

Kelly led the Saints with 12 kills, while Piper added seven kills and four service aces. Parker, Teppo and Barnes all recorded four blocks, while Jenna Britton finished with 20 assists and Collier-Hogan added 15 digs.

St. Lawrence amassed a 13-3 lead to kick off the first set against the Goats, but WPI rallied to tie the set at 18 and take a 21-20 lead over the Saints. After four ties the Saints came away with the 26-24 win with a kill from Piper.
In the second set, the Saints jumped out to another quick lead and an 11-5 advantage, but once again the Goats proved resilient bringing the set within one (11-10) and battling point-for-point down the stretch. The Saints finished off the set with a 3-2 edge and a final kill from Kelly.

Taking the lead once again, the Saints built an 8-2 advantage and extended their lead to 14-6 after Kelly capped a 5-2 run with a kill. An attacking error on Colleen Mullins put the Scarlet and Brown up 19-12 and despite one last comeback attempt from the Goats, Kelly finished off the second set in a row with a kill.

Sarah Kwatinetz finished with a team-best seven kills and seven blocks for the Goats, while Victoria Nassar recorded 12 digs and Azita Bakhtyari added 19 assists.

St. Lawrence finished with a 45-24 advantage in kills and topped the Goats in service aces (10-2) and digs (40-38). WPI did hold a slight 10-9 edge in blocks over the Saints.

"I am so very proud of this team," said head coach Shelly Roiger. "They played absolutely outstanding today against two very good teams. We were outstanding in the battle of the first contact and that purposefulness and confidence was so rewarding to watch. No one got down on themselves and our balance was our strength. The positive energy was outstanding and it only further drove the accomplishments on the court. This weekend was perfect preparation for our home matches against Skidmore and Union and we're looking forward to a great few days of preparation and fine tuning."
 
After today's wins the Saints improved to 17-7 on the season, while Gordon fell to 11-11 and WPI fell to 18-4.
 
St. Lawrence will host Skidmore and Union in Liberty League play on October 19 and 20, respectively. Friday night's match against Skidmore will serve as the Saints' senior day for Kelly and Good.