Araiza Acum-Santos had 25 kills across two games and
Bridget Gammons added 22, but the St. Lawrence University volleyball team fell to both SUNY Canton and SUNY Potsdam Friday at Burkman Gymnasium.
Kori Meissner had 19 digs to lead the Saints and
Vanessa Latam had 61 assists at setter and finished second in the team with 16 digs.
"Our team is definitely feeling the weight of the world on its shoulders," said
Shelly Roiger, the Saints' head coach. "The silver lining of the weekend: by far our two best matches from an offensive production standpoint. With the conference season beginning next week, everyone is 0-0."
Game 1: St. Lawrence 0, SUNY Canton 3 (23-25, 23-25, 16-25)
The beginning of the first set was closely contested with SUNY Canton holding a slim lead until the Saints scored three straight to grab their first lead of the set behind a kill and service ace from
Rose Meihaus, then a kill by Acum-Santos. The Saints jumped out in front by as much as four with a 17-13 lead but SUNY Canton was able to regroup and make the game close again tying it 20-20. At the end of the set, the two teams exchanged leads once again and with the score even at 23 late, the Roos scored the last two to earn the victory.
In the second set, the Scarlet and Brown jumped out to a quick 14-6 lead with four kills by Acum-Santos in this span. However, the Roos were able to recover and, slowly but surely, closed the gap. With the score 21-19, the Roos earned three straight points to take their first lead 22-21. Meihaus and Gammons had a kill each after this, but the Roos were able to score three of the next five to win the set 25-23 again.
In the third set, with the two teams tied 4-4, the Saints went on a 4-0 run behind kills from Latam and Riesenberger. However, St. Lawrence ran into some trouble midway through the set, with their lead at 12-10, the Roos went on a 9-1 run to take control of the game. The Saints were unable to score back-to-back points after this, and lost 25-16 in the final set.
Game 2: St. Lawrence 1, Potsdam 3 (25-23, 20-25, 20-25, 18-25)
The first set was tight all the way through. The Bears got up to a four-point lead 10-6, but St. Lawrence kept the game close and managed to tie the game 18-18 and then take the lead a few points later with a kill from Gammons to give the Saints a 20-19 lead. St. Lawrence then rattled off three more points for a 23-19 lead, and although Potsdam got back into the game, a service error by the Bears confirmed the set as the Saints defeated the Bears 25-23.
Potsdam started the second set strong with a 4-0 lead but the Saints went on a 4-0 run of their own to tie the game with a pair of kills by Meissner and Acum-Santos. The middle part of the set was once again a close game with plenty of ties and lead changes. However, with the game at 17-17, the Bears slowly began to pull away, getting a two-point lead 22-20 then scored the last three points to earn a five-point victory in the second set.
In the third set, neither team was able to string together a run until when the game was 15-15, where Potsdam scored five of the next six to give themselves a 20-16 lead. St. Lawrence got a couple of kills by Gammons late, but it wasn't enough as the Saints fell 25-20 once again.
With the score tied 8-8 in the fourth set, the Saints got three straight points with Gammons and Meihaus recording a kill in that span. However, the Bears scored six straight after this small Saints run and held the lead the rest of the way. The Saints stayed within a few points as they were trailing 20-17, but the Bears ran away with the set going on a 5-1 run to conclude the game with a 25-18 victory.
Up Next:
The Saints will take on the William Smith Herons Friday, September 27 at 7 p.m., in their first Liberty League game of the season.
