St. Lawrence outlasted SUNY Canton 3-2 in a non-conference match at the Roos House, taking the fifth set 15-9 after over two hours of crosstown volleyball on Tuesday night in Canton, N.Y.
The result is the third straight win for the Saints, which pulls their record to 6-6 entering conference play. But the win didn't come easily, as they found themselves trailing 1-0 and then 2-1, edging Canton in the fourth set to force a deciding stanza and winning in the fifth. It was the first match of the year that went the distance for the Scarlet and Brown.
"We played extremely sloppy and passive throughout most of the first three sets and then we finally found our focus and cleaned up our contacts to squeak out the win," said Saints head coach
Shelly Roiger. "Before set five started, we talked about how that set was going to set the tone for the rest of the week, which includes two practices and three matches."Â
"I thought the team responded really well. We hit .429 in set five and had zero service errors to jump out to a 9-3 lead. Our passing had a couple of hiccups at that point, but we were able to right the ship and hang on for the five set victory. In the end, it wasn't a pretty match but winning is always more fun than losing, regardless of how you get there."
The opening set went to the Roos 26-24. The Saints held a set point at 24-23, but Canton scored the final three points, the last two on service aces.
St. Lawrence answered in the second set after falling behind 21-16. The Saints ran off six straight points to take a 22-21 lead and closed it out 25-23, with
Araiza Acum-Santos delivering the final kill.
Bridget Gammons had six of her 11 kills in the set.
Canton took control of the third set, leading by as many as eight points on the way to a 25-17 win.
The Saints never trailed in the fourth set and led by as many as six points. Canton rallied with five straight points to close within 22-21, but St. Lawrence regained its footing and finished 25-23 on a Canton attack error. Acum-Santos had six kills in the set.
St. Lawrence carried that momentum into the deciding fifth set, again never trailing. The Saints built a 9-4 lead, led by as many as seven, and hit .429 (10 kills, one error) while holding Canton to .053. The Roos pulled within 12-9, but the Saints scored the final three points to secure the win.
"I am confident the team will be dialed in for two great practices as we prepare for three matches in Burkman this weekend," Roiger continued. "It should be a great environment with a Route 11 Rivalry game on Friday night vs Clarkson and then the triad on Saturday when we have Senior Night. With it being Laurentian Weekend, we definitely have a lot to be grateful for and the concept of being able to represent the University is not lost on us."
Acum-Santos led the offense with 21 kills and a .350 attacking percentage, adding 12 digs. Gammons finished with 11 kills and four block assists, and
McKayla Pollard and
Annika Flittie added seven and six kills, respectively.
Vanessa Latam directed the offense with 34 assists, and
Rowan Mottau added six.
Cassady Smith anchored the back row with a team-high 17 digs and five service aces. The win is Roiger's 250th at St. Lawrence, and the 295th of her career.Â
The Saints ring in the volleyball edition of the Route 11 Rivalry on Friday night, facing the Clarkson Golden Knights on Friday, October 2. The game is scheduled for a 7 p.m. opening serve.
Â
