Senior
Vivian Zymeck led the team with 22 kills on the day, while first-year
Vanessa Latam put up 50 assists as the St. Lawrence University volleyball fell 3-0 to Williams and 3-1 to Hamilton in the Hamilton Triad in Clinton, N.Y.
The Saints fell to 2-6 on the year with the losses.
"We played two very good opponents today, and both prepared us well for our upcoming conference-opener next weekend," said head coach
Shelly Roiger "Williams and Hamilton both have great fire power, and our defense improved as the day went on. Our first set against Hamilton was our best of the season, but we couldn't sustain that level of focus or execution. I'm confident that we are getting better, which is what matters. We just need to improve our execution late in the sets as we develop that 'refuse to lose' mental toughness."
Match 1: St. Lawrence 0, Williams 3
In the opening match against Williams, the Scarlet and Brown were down early 9-7 before storming back with a 5-1 run fueled by a kill and two assists from Latam that
Araiza Acum-Santos was able to bury.
A pair of three and six point runs from Williams would help them close the opening set.
Early in set two, the Saints were down one at 5-4 before a 7-1 run from the opposing team. St. Lawrence was up to the task however with a 7-0 run to bring the score to 12-12. The Saints were able to capitalize on four attack errors and a service ace along with kills from
Jada Masiclat and
Adeline Riesenberger.
A counter punch in the form of a 6-0 run from Williams put the Saints down six, but more strong play from Latam led to a 23-20 deficit. A pair of errors would close the second set in favor of the Ephs. Â
The Scarlet and Brown came out strong in the third set and used a 5-0 run to take a 10-7 lead. Latam had an assist and a kill in the barrage.
Williams would climb back into the lead 18-14 to reclaim momentum. The match teetered on the edge as the score was tied at 19 and 20 before the Ephs finished off the match.
Match 2: St. Lawrence 1, Hamilton 3
A week after falling 3-0 to Hamilton, the Scarlet and Brown opened the matchup on the right foot taking a 1-0 set lead.
The Saints raced out to a 5-2, and 10-3 leads to put the Continentals on their heels. St. Lawrence had three service aces in the opening thirteen points to help take the lead. Hamilton would inch their way back into the contest as the score went to 17-10.
It was at that point that the Saints took over, winning the next eight points. A kill from Riesenberger followed by three
Maggie Layman service aces started the downhill attack. Kills from Zymeck and Latam partnered with an attack error and another Layman service ace emphatically ended the set.
The Continentals cleaned up some of their errors and came out to a 17-11 lead in the second set to right their ship. The Saints were able to get the set to within three, but dropped the set to go to 1-1.
Hamilton kept the momentum using a 7-0 run to bring an 8-8 third set to 14-8. Zymeck would keep the Scarlet and Brown in the game with a pair of kills and helped spark a comeback to being down just 21-20. A pair of kills from Kate Carmen put the Continentals up and over the edge as they claimed the 2-1 lead.
The fourth set was a seesaw affair that saw both teams jockeying for position. The set was tight at 14-12 in favor of Hamilton when the Saints won four of the next seven points to bring the team within one.
Acum-Santos had three kills later in the set to keep St. Lawrence within one at 21-20. A service error and an attack error gave the momentum back to Hamilton, who finished off the match.
The Scarlet and Brown will head back to Canton and begin preparing for the SLU Triad at the Ronald T. Burkman Gymnasium. The Saints will open the Triad on Friday against Bard in their Liberty League opener at 4:00 p.m., then will face SUNY Canton later that night at 8:00 p.m.
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