POTSDAM, N.Y. - The SUNY Potsdam volleyball team won both matches on the second day of the Victory Promotions Invitational to cap an unbeaten weekend. The Bears took out Southern Vermont and SUNYIT to raise their record to 8-1 on the season and junior middle hitter Kayla Howard (Marcellus, N.Y./Marcellus) was named to the All-Tournament team. 

The first match of the day featured one of the more dramatic games of the tournament.  The match saw Potsdam head coach Steve Pike taking on his former assistant, Josh Stokes, who now runs the Mountaineers program. The match came down to the wire but ultimately Pike and the Bears would come out victorious.

The back and forth match saw Southern Vermont take two of the first three sets (25-22, 22-25, 25-20) but the Bears fought back. Potsdam would take the fourth set by the score of 25-19 and send the match to a pivotal fifth set. The Bears would have to show resiliency again, staring a 12-8 deficit in the face, but Potsdam didn’t flinch. Keyed by junior Jessica Archinald’s (Amsterdam, N.Y./Amsterdam) serving and some solid defense, Potsdam rallied to win the last seven points of the set and take the game.

“I was impressed with how hard we fought and battled,” said Coach Pike after the game. “We made some defensive adjustments in the fifth match and we had contributions from all over the roster.”

The Bears were led by Howard’s 14 kills and two aces. Sophomore Jenna Blujus (Baldwinsville, N.Y./C.W. Baker) tallied 35 assists and sophomore Dakota Pruiss (Wallkill, N.Y./Wallkill) added 16 digs.

The second match of the day pitted Potsdam against SUNYIT. The Bears got off to a sluggish start, losing the first set 25-20. However, Potsdam came back and took the final three sets (25-10, 25-11, 25-13) to finish the weekend strong. Senior Samatha Strader (Watertown, N.Y./South Jefferson) had 10 kills and seven digs for Potsdam. Pruiss had a solid all-around match with nine kills, six digs and one assist. Jillian Dye (Middletown, N.Y./Minisink Valley) and Blujus combined for 27 digs.

“It was a good weekend for the Bears,” said the Potsdam head coach. “I was happy with the way we competed and if we keep doing that, good things will happen.”

The Bears will take the momentum from the tournament into a big non-conference matchup as they host rival St. Lawrence on Sept. 13 at 7 p.m.

All-Tournament Team:

MH Kayla Howard, SUNY Potsdam

OH Juleah Vedder, SUNYIT

RS/OH Theresa Lilly, Plattsburgh

S Kara Michelsen, Oswego

OH Jackie Farrington, Cazenovia

OH Jessica Alverez, Southern Vermont

OH Megan McCareins, Hamilton

MH Chelsey Covitz, St. Michael’s

OH Nyasha Miller, St. Lawrence