Box Score The St. Lawrence University volleyball team pushed SUNY Cobleskill to the limit Friday night but fell in a five-set thriller (27-29, 22-25, 25-11, 25-22, 11-15) inside Iorio Gymnasium.
 
The Saints rallied from a 2-0 hole to force a decisive fifth before Cobleskill closed the night with a late surge to take the match.
 
"This was a very disappointing result tonight, especially after one of our best matches of the year last Saturday against Vassar," said Saints head coach Shelly Roiger. "Like last weekend, out inability to close out the opening set ended up costing us the match. We made several unforced errors in the final set which led to the loss."
 
SUNY Cobleskill narrowly claimed the opening set, 29-27. St. Lawrence erased several set points behind strong late serving from Lily Snide and kills from Araiza Acum-Santos and Bridget Gammons, eventually leveling the score at 27-27. The hosts steadied in the end, however, capitalizing on a pair of Saint miscues to edge ahead and secure the early advantage.
 
The second set followed a similar pattern of long rallies and tight margins. St. Lawrence took a brief 18-16 lead thanks to a block by Adeline Riesenberger and kills from Acum-Santos, but Cobleskill's Hallie Gasner and Emma Hinze powered them to a lead. A late service ace by Kathleen Smart and an attack error by the Saints gave the hosts the 25-22 win and a commanding 2-0 lead in the match.
 
St. Lawrence dominated the third set with one of its most efficient offensive displays of the season, hitting .625 as a team. Acum-Santos led the charge with six kills in the frame, while Vanessa Latam directed the attack with poise. The Saints built an early cushion and never looked back, cruising to a 25-11 win.
 
Gammons' serving and Riesenberger's steady presence at the net helped St. Lawrence erase a late deficit in set four. A series of Cobleskill attack errors opened the door, and the Saints seized it with a 25-22 win to force a decisive fifth set.
 
In the finale, Cobleskill regrouped and took an early lead. St. Lawrence closed within 12-11 after a service ace from Cassady Smith, but Cobleskill responded with three straight points to close out the match.
 
Acum-Santos led St. Lawrence with 18 kills, 13 digs, and a .325 hitting percentage. Latam finished with 32 assists, while Snide tallied three aces and 10 digs. Gammons added eight kills and four aces.
 
The Saints return to action Saturday at the SUNY Poly tri-match, where they'll face SUNY Poly and Keuka.