The St. Lawrence University volleyball team swept SUNY Potsdam and Plattsburgh State on Friday in the Victory Promotions Tournament by the score of 3-1. The Saints defeated the Bears 25-23, 23-25, 25-16, 25-21 in Potsdam, NY, and then drove back to Canton where they defeated the Cardinals 25-17, 25-18, 23-25 and 25-16.

St. Lawrence (3-3) had double-digit kills from junior Lexi Brown in both games, including an 18-kill game against Potsdam. Cristina Deschaine added nine kills on 18 attempts in the win over Plattsburgh, while Jenna Street contributed 45 assists total. Defensively, the Scarlet and Brown were aided by Mariah Dignan's 31 total digs including 19 against Plattsburgh.

"We had a good week of practice and I thought we showed some improvement in some key areas from today's matches in comparison to last weekend," said St. Lawrence head coach Shelly Roiger. "We certainly have a long way to go before Liberty League play in a few weeks, but our depth created a lot of successful combinations throughout both matches."

St. Lawrence recorded 15 service aces against Potsdam, which was led by Chelsea Sunday's 15 kills and Rachel Topf's 24 assists. The defensive effort for St. Lawrence was outstanding, totaling 55 digs to the Bears' 40 en route to the four-set win.

Meanwhile, following the drive down Route 11, the Saints cruised to a 2-0 lead thanks to strong play from Maddy Ruehl, Amanda Briggs and Dignan. The team showed a balance offensive attack, getting kills from Brown, Deschaine, Masha Kolesnikova, and Rebecca Briggs to help build the lead.

Despite trailing late in the third set, Plattsburgh refused to go away quietly, rallying to steal the set and cut into the deficit down 2-1. Junior Emily Miller put a solid service run together as the Saints contributed several errors to help the Cardinals back into the match after winning the third, 25-23.

However, the home team flexed its muscle in the fourth set, cruising out to a comfortable lead. Dignan chipped in a pair of service aces as the home team claimed the deciding game, 25-16 victory.

"Our defense was much better today thanks largely in part to people getting healthy. It's a fun group to coach because we have a lot of versatile players who can make contributions in several positions and we can keep opponents off balanced with adjustments made," added Coach Roiger. "As in last weekend's matches, our energy defines our level of play and we need to bring that trait consistently."

St. Lawrence will be in action again tomorrow when it hosts Cegep Du Vieux Montreal (exhibition) and SUNYIT at 11:00am and 2:30pm, respectively, in its final games of the Victory Promotions Tournament.