The St. Lawrence University volleyball team posted two match wins on day one of the Canton Classic, topping SUNY Potsdam 3-0 in the first match and SUNY Canton 3-1 in the last match of the night, to improve to 11-5 on the season on Friday night at Burkman Gymnasium.

Match 1 vs. SUNY Potsdam (St. Lawrence 3, SUNY Potsdam 0)

St. Lawrence topped the Bears in three sets by scores of 25-23, 25-17 and 25-23.

Natalie Piper led the Saints with nine kills, while Grace Kelly and Amanda Teppo recorded seven kills each and Mac Barnes added five. Ally Good and Maddy Bishop combined for 29 kills, while Reagan Collier-Hogan posted a team-best 14 digs and Barnes recorded four blocks for the Saints.

Potsdam jumped out to an early 6-2 lead over the Saints in the first set and managed to maintain their lead improving to 17-14. The Scarlet and Brown posted a 5-1 run to tie the set at 17 on an attacking error from Potsdam's Gabby Scott. Both teams traded three-point runs to a 22-22 tie, but Kelly recorded two service aces to seal the win 25-23.

In the second set, the Saints took an 11-4 lead and never looked back. Bishop assisted Kelly's kill to extend the lead to 15-8 and a block from Mac Barnes made the score 22-14. Despite a 3-2 run from the Bears, Kelly sealed the set 25-17.

The Bears claimed the early advantage in the third set, taking a 5-3 lead over St. Lawrence, but the Saints rallied on another five-point run to tie the set at seven and take a 10-7 lead. In a back-and-forth battle Potsdam snagged the lead once more, but the Saints proved relentless and ended the set on a 7-1 run against the Bears.



"I thought the turning point in the Potsdam match was the end of the first set," said head coach Shelly Roiger. "We had been trailing the entire set with a slow start and Potsdam had us up against the ropes. I'm proud of how the team never panicked and stayed the course, kept chipping away and then finished the set with two strong serves by our senior. We were much better in sets two and three and the team did a nice job of playing better defense, both with our block as well as our back row. Offensively, I thought our balance was key to our success throughout the match."

The Bears were led by Gabby Scott with 10 kills and 16 digs. Brianna Rodda recorded her 3,000th career assist in the second set of the night and recorded 23 in the match.

Match 2 vs. SUNY Canton (St. Lawrence 3, SUNY Canton 1)

SUNY Canton claimed the first set of the night 25-21, but the Saints took over for the 3-1 win, topping the Roos by scores of 25-23, 25-10 and 25-17.

Piper once again led the Saints with 15 kills to combine for 24 between the two matches. Teppo recorded a season-best eight blocks, while Bishop recorded 18 assists and Good posted 12 digs for the Saints.
Both teams battled for the lead in the first set, but the Roos recorded an 8-0 run down the stretch to take a 19-12 lead. The Saints pushed back to bring the set within two points (23-21), but the Roos claimed the first set on an attacking error from Piper.

Collier-Hogan gave the Saints a 10-7 lead in the second set on a service ace and Kelly extended St. Lawrence's lead to 15-14 down the stretch. A double block from Teppo and Piper put the Saints up 18-15 and Mac Barnes recorded a kill making the score 20-16. The Saints sealed the set with a solo block from Kelly.

In the third set, it was all Saints from the start. The Scarlet and Brown amassed a 15-2 lead, extended that lead to 20-7 on a service ace from Bishop and finished the set with a kill from Piper.

In the fourth and final set, St. Lawrence climbed to a 15-7 lead on a six-point run and with back-to-back multiple point runs took a 20-14 lead on two consecutive kills from Teppo and Piper. Another double block from Kelly and Barnes finished off the match for the Saints.

Tatum LaFrance and Marissa Ixtlahuac led SUNY Canton with eight kills each, while Melissa McMaster totaled four blocks, Peyton Robinson assisted on 25 plays and Jenna Roat recorded 14 digs.



"We got off to another slow start against Canton and that continues to be an area of concern," Roiger continued. "However, I thought we dominated the battle of the first contact. We were in system most of the match and were able to force Canton to be fairly predictable. Our blocking was again outstanding and I thought our mental focus throughout the match was very solid."

The Saints posted a 44-32 advantage in kills and also held the advantage in service aces (5-4), blocks (14-6) and assists (35-30). The Roos held a 56-47 dig advantage.

St. Lawrence will participate in day two of the Canton Classic tomorrow at SUNY Canton. The Saints take on Cazenovia College at 2:30 p.m.