Saints Sweep SUNYIT, Hunter at Oneonta Invitational

by: 

Tara Freeman

Co-captain Katie Prue had 15 digs in a 3-0 win over Hunter on Saturday.

Sept. 1: The St. Lawrence University volleyball team responded in style on Saturday, as the Saints rebounded from a pair of losses on Friday night with two 3-0 victories over SUNYIT and Hunter at the 2012 Oneonta Invitational.  Senior captain Anna Kassab had 30 assists in the win over SUNYIT, while first-year student Lexi Brown led the charge with 17 kills against Hunter.

The Saints improve to 2-2 on the young season after defeating the Wildcats 25-14, 25-19, 25-19 and Hunter 25-22, 25-23, 25-22.

"We definitely had more confidence today and played more aggressively," said St. Lawrence head coach Shelly Roiger.  "There is still room for improvement early in the year, and we knew there would be bumps with such a young roster."

The Saints' first-year students were key in the wins on Saturday.  Mariah Dignan had a team-high 12 digs against SUNYIT on the defensive end, while fellow rookie Rebecca Doser led the Saints with eight kills, as the Scarlet and Brown controlled each game in the sweep over the Wildcats.

The Hunter match was a much closer affair, as St. Lawrence showed great poise down the stretch to win three highly-contested games.  The Saints' defense was clutch, as Kassab posted 17 digs while fellow senior captain Katie Prue added 15 more.  Offensively, Brown did the majority of the work, as her 17 kills came with only two errors.  Kassab added 25 assists in the three-game win.

St. Lawrence will be in action next weekend in the Burkman Gymnasium, as the Saints host a portion of the 2012 Victory Promotions Tournament.  The Saints will face Plattsburgh State and Southern Vermont on Friday at 4:00pm and 6:00pm, respectively.