SUNY Potsdam Men Sweep NECC Quarterfinal; Fall in Semis 3-1

St. Lawrence University attacker Natalie Parker (7) drives the ball past Clarkson defenders Maddie Bredehoeft (5) and Gillian Kurtic (14) to earn a point for the saints midway through the second set. Clarkson advances to the Liberty League Championship over the Saints 3-0. (Cody Jenne photo) Game Gallery
St. Lawrence’s Grace Kelly (10) slams the ball over Potsdam’s Monica Mack (8) and Brianna Rodda (19). St. Lawrence wins the first two sets to take a 2-0 lead, drops a close third set before survival another close score in the fourth set for a 32-1 lead over SUNY Potsdam at Maxcy Hall. (Zachary Matthie photo) Match Gallery

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September 27: The St. Lawrence University volleyball team claimed the first set by a score of 25-20, but fell to Clarkson 3-1 after scores of 25-22, 25-16 and 29-27 in the next three sets Wednesday evening in Potsdam. The Saints came out swinging and took a 6-0 lead to start the first set. Masha Kolesnikova recorded two service aces and Grace Kelly tallied two kills within the first six points. Despite multiple comeback attempts by the Golden Knights the Saints carried the lead all the way through the first set. Kelly led the Saints with 14 kills, while Kolesnikova recorded 10 and Julia Wagner added seven. Katie Kull, who currently ranks fourth nationally with 11.02 assists per set, finished the evening with 38 assists. Ally Good added 25 digs and Mac Barnes posted a season-high of seven blocks. In the second set, the Golden Knights tallied eight-straight points down the stretch for the 25-22 win and tied the match 1-1. Clarkson then posted a 25-16 win over the Saints after securing the lead for the second match in a row, and posted scores of 10-5 and 20-12 along the way. The Saints matched Clarkson point-for-point in the fourth and final set. A bad set and attack error on Clarkson allowed the Saints to take their first lead of the match and hold a one point advantage (20-19). The match extended and Clarkson claimed a 29-27 win. "Entering the game, we knew we needed to execute at a high level both offensively and defensively. That started with winning the battle of first contact and I thought our serving game set the tone for set 1," said head coach Shelly Roiger. "We lost some of that purposefulness during set two and three, but I liked our comeback in set two. Unfortunately, we gave up a big rally late in set two and I think that was the turning point of the match. Going into the fourth set, we decided to increase our aggressiveness with the serve and we did so but we failed to execute that level at the end of the fourth set. Part of me is extremely proud of the team for the fight they showed tonight and part of me knows that in the end, it's still a loss. We entered Alumni Gymnasium on a mission to leave with a win because that's why you put on the jersey. From that standpoint, our mission was not completed. We have one day to prepare for four matches this weekend and the message tomorrow will be to show that same high level of competition with each other every time, every practice." The Golden Knights were led by Rachael Aird with 14 kills, while Kendall Cheval and Rachel Reusch added nine each. Jillian Saenz assisted on 33 points and Kate Isaksen tallied 18 digs for Clarkson. St. Lawrence fell to 10-6 on the season and 1-2 in Liberty League play, while Clarkson improved to 8-6 overall and 2-1 in conference play. Up next, the Saints co-host the Canton Classic with neighboring SUNY Canton. St. Lawrence will play SUNY Potsdam and Wells on Friday, Sept. 29th and Elmira and SUNY Canton on Saturday, Sept. 30th.

September 23: Julia Wagner recorded a season-high 16 kills and senior captain Katie Kull added 45 assists as the St. Lawrence University volleyball team defeated Union 3-2 after five sets in Schenectady, New York for the Saints first Liberty League win of the season. St. Lawrence also faced Kean University in a non-league match and fell to the Cougars 3-0. Match 1 vs. Union – The Dutchwomen claimed the first set of the day by a score of 25-21. However, the Saints rebounded to claim the next two and hold a one set lead over Union by scores of 25-14 and 25-20. Union took the fourth set to draw the match at 2-2 by a score of 25-10 and force a fifth set. St. Lawrence rallied in a back and forth battle to secure the 15-12 win. Wagner led the Saints with 16 kills, while Masha Kolesnikova recorded 13 and Grace Kelly added 10. Kolesnikova and Kull recorded three service aces each. "Our five-set victory over Union was a win that took a lot of grit and heart by our team," said head coach Shelly Roiger. "We did a great job of sustaining focus and were very efficient in our offense. I'm proud of the team for bouncing back with the win after a heartbreaker on Friday night." St. Lawrence topped Union in kills (59-50), aces (8-7) and digs (61-52). The Dutchwomen were led by Stephanie Libonati with 14 kills, while Brianne Hallock tallied 12 digs and Gillian Gore served four aces. Today's win marks the first victory over Union for the Saints since 2014. Match 2 vs. Kean University – The Saints fell to the Cougars after just three sets by scores of 25-18, 25-16 and 25-23. Kolesnikova led the Saints in their second match of the day with eight kills, while Wagner and Kelly recorded seven each. Kull added 10 digs for St. Lawrence and Ally Good tallied 11. "Our fatigue definitely showed in our match against Kean," Roiger continued. "They have a lot of weapons from different positions and we had a hard time getting touches on their attacks. We were on our heels the entire match, and while we hung in there for the majority of the three sets, we could never quite make the final push to take the lead late in the second. Our primary objective in the next few days will be to get rested and ready for a battle at Clarkson on Wednesday." The Saints moved to 10-6 on the season and 1-1 in conference play after today's results.

SUNY Canton's Melissa McMaster (17) finesses the ball over SUNY Potsdam defenders Emme Price (9) and Mikayla Myers (4).  In very close and entertaining four sets, Potsdam outlasted Canton 3-1.  The Bears won the first set 25-21, the Roos evened the match with a 25-20 win.  Potsdam outlasted Canton 27-25 in Set 3, then finished the night with a 25-21 win. Mickayla Myers led Potsdam with 14 kills and 1 block...Nicole Hansen added five aces, 13 digs and three assists. For Canton, Ashton Houppert dished up 34 assists and 11 digs.  Melissa McMaster pounded out 16 kills and six blocks.(Kevin Fisher photo)  Match Gallery

SUNY Canton’s Captain Peyton Robinson (6) tipped the ball over Potsdam’s Nicole Hansen (10) fingers to score a point for the Roos. (Zachary Matthie photo)  Match Gallery

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 October 18: Kelsy Cornish (Honeoye, NY) posted double digit kills for the 16th time this season but the SUNY Canton volleyball team dropped a 3-0 decision (18-25, 18-25, 25-27) to visiting St. Lawrence University on Tuesday evening in the Roos House. Cornish led the Roos with 11 kills and nine digs, while Shea Norton (Batavia, NY) added eight kills on 21 swings. Peyton Robinson (Bloomfield, NY) dished out 25 assists to go with her six digs, while Jenna Roat (Penfield, NY) tallied a match-best 18 digs. Morgan Wicks (Hartford, NY) produced nine digs, while Brynna Harris (Mead, CO) pinpointed a match-high two service aces and Jocelyn Racette (Port Kent, NY) added four digs. The Saints (10-15) jumped out to a 17-11 lead in the opening set on their way to securing a 25-18 victory. After St. Lawrence jumped out to an 8-2 lead in the second frame the Roos battled back within 12-11 after a Harris service ace. The Roos (13-14) would never get closer than one as the Saints pulled away late for a 25-18 win. Play was much closer in the final frame as SUNY Canton opened up a 20-16 advantage after a kill from Cornish and Saints attacking error. The Roos had their first match point leading 24-23 but a Saints kill from Wagner extended the match. The hosts had one other chance at the set after a Marissa Ixtlahuac (Carthage, NY) kill, but three straight points including a kill from Maddy Ruehl and ace from Maddy Bishop closed out the match.

The Bears’ Mikayla Myers (4) smacks the ball while the Roos Ashton Houppert (10) attempts the block.   In very close and entertaining four sets, Potsdam outlasted Canton 3-1.  The Bears won the first set 25-21, the Roos evened the match with a 25-20 win.  Potsdam outlasted Canton 27-25 in Set 3, then finished the night with a 25-21 win. Mickayla Myers led Potsdam with 14 kills and 1 block...Nicole Hansen added five aces, 13 digs and three assists. For Canton, Ashton Houppert dished up 34 assists and 11 digs.  Melissa McMaster pounded out 16 kills and six blocks.  (Kevin Fisher photo) Match Gallery
SUNY Potsdam’s Emme Price (23) spikes the ball between St. Lawrence’s Marissa Parker (5) and Amanda Teppo (13). Potsdam won the third set, after dropping the first pair.  St. Lawrence squeezed out a win in the fourth set for a 3-1 final. (Zachary Matthie photo)  Match Gallery
SUNY Potsdam’s Rachel Pridell (9) slams the ball past two of SUNY Canton’s defenders Skye Hansen (8) and Melissa McMaster (17) in a score for the Bears.  SUNY Potsdam went on to defeat SUNY Canton in a three-set sweep.  (Zachary Matthie photo)  Match Gallery

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Aug 30. The SUNY Potsdam volleyball team finished out the weekend at the SUNY Canton Invitational with a 3-2 win, over Wells College (1-2).   The Bears opened up the match with a 25-19 win in the first set. They then fell 25-20 in the second set. The match continued to be a see-saw battle with a 25-15 win in the third set and a 25-10 loss in the forth set. The Bears completed the comeback in the fifth set, knocking off the Express 15-12 for the victory.   Senior outside hitter Sharon Ofori (Bronx, N.Y./John F. Kennedy) led the Bears' offense with nine kills.  Sophomore Libero Sloane Campbell (Scotia, N.Y./Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake) had 17 digs and two aces and junior outside hitter Chelsea Sunday (Akwesasne, N.Y./Salmon River) had 16 digs, two aces  and four kills of her own. Freshman setter Rachel Topf (Eagle River, Alaska/Chugiak) had 11 digs, four aces and 26 assists.  Freshman outside hitter Kelsey Tompkins (Vestal, N.Y./Vestal) finished the match with four-and-a-half blocks, three aces and six kills. With the win the Bears are 2-1 on the season.   Potsdam's next match will come on September 9, when the Bears host the Victory Promotions Invitational at Maxcy Fieldhouse. The opening match takes place at 3 p.m. between the Bears and the Saints of St. Lawrence University.

Aug 29. The SUNY Potsdam volleyball team (1-1) split its two matches on opening day at the SUNY Canton Invitational. The Bears opened play with an early afternoon 3-0 setback to the host Roos (2-0), before bouncing back for a late evening 3-2 win over SUNYIT (0-2).   Against the Roos, Potsdam fell by scores 25-20, 25-19 and 25-9. In her first action in a Bears uniform since Oct. 20, 2010, graduate student outside hitter Annie Smith (Chateauguay, N.Y./Chateauguay) led Potsdam offensively with eight kills. Senior outside hitter Tia Wright (Vestal, N.Y./Vestal) finished the match with two kills, two digs and two-and-a-half blocks. Junior outside hitter Chelsea Sunday (Akwesasne, N.Y./Salmon River) returned to the Potsdam lineup for the first time since Nov. 11, 2005 and added three kills and three digs. Senior outside hitter Sharon Ofori (Bronx, N.Y./John F. Kennedy) totaled three kills and sophomore defensive specialist Sloane Campbell (Scotia, N.Y./Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake) chipped in a team-high seven digs.   In the nightcap against the Wildcats, the Bears fell 25-15 in the first set before responding with a 25-14 victory in set two. SUNYIT put Potsdam on the brink with a 25-21 win in the third set, before the Bears rallied for 25-23 and 15-12 victories in the fourth and fifth. Freshman setter Rachel Topf (Eagle River, Alaska/Chugiak) had a strong performance for Potsdam with six kills, 35 assists and 16 digs. Sunday added to her total for the day with a game-high 13 kills to go with nine digs. Wright finished with nine kills, seven digs and two-and-a-half blocks. Campbell posted a game-high 17 digs, while senior libero Gabby Arana (Williston Park, N.Y./Herricks) rounded out the leaders with 12 digs.   Potsdam is back in action tomorrow afternoon at 3 p.m. when the Bears face Wells College to close out the tournament.

Clarkson attacker Maddie Bredehoeft (5) spikes the ball past St. Lawrence University defenders Annika Kreppin (8) and Amanda Teppo (13) to earn a point late in the second set for the Golden Knights. Clarkson advances to the Liberty League Championship over the Saints 3-0. (Cody Jenne photo) Game Gallery

Clarkson’s Rachel Reusch (12) sails high and spikes the ball to score a point.  In a gut-wrenching, long extended semifinal match, Clarkson fell to Babson 3-2 in the NCAA Regional semifinals. Clarkson won 29-27, lost 25-21, gutted out a 33-31 win in the third set, before being edged 25-23 and 15-12.  (Sam Wangerin photo)  Match Gallery

Babson’s Gaby Miller (9) jumps to spike the ball with a Clarkson blocker poised to respond at the net.

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September 27: Although the team struggled on serve receive and defense in the early going, the Clarkson University Volleyball team regrouped from a one-set deficit to take a 3-1 win (20-25, 25-22, 25-16, 29-27) over St. Lawrence on Wednesday night at Alumni Gymnasium. The Golden Knights remained unbeaten in league play, improving to 8-6 overall and 3-0 in the Liberty League, while St. Lawrence fell to 10-6 overall and 1-2 in conference matches. Clarkson gets the weekend off, but will be back with single matches next week against Oswego State (10/3) and Ithaca College (10/7). In the first set, Clarkson couldn't seem to put together solid passes on serve receive and the ensuing attacks were too soft to fall to the floor. St. Lawrence took advantage of the Knights' issues, hitting .370 (13-3-27) with four aces in the first set, winning 25-20. The second set saw the Knights gather themselves and their serving game and offense found some rhythm, jumping out to a 13-7 edge after a Rachel Reusch kill in the middle. However, the Saints got a side out and then rattled off eight more points while Katie Kull was serving to take a 16-13 lead. St. Lawrence pushed the advantage to four points (20-16), but Clarkson responded with eight straight points, including five kills and a block to halt the Saints' progress. The Knights had three match points, and finally put things away with a Rachael Aird kill. The third set was all Clarkson, as St. Lawrence hit just .025 with nine kills but eight errors, and Clarkson was a more efficient .205 thanks to 12 kills and just four miscues. The Knights scored the first five points of the set with Jillian Saenz at the service line, and the junior setter delivered a pair of aces during the run. St. Lawrence edged back within four on a couple of occasions, but still trailing by five midway through the set (16-11), the Saints watched Clarkson score six of the next seven points. With a 10-point edge, it was only a matter of time before the Knights closed out the game. Set four was a back and forth affair from the very beginning, and the momentum shifted several times late in the set. Clarkson was up by three (17-14) following an ace from Kate Isaksen, but the Saints scored seven of the next nine points to move the game to 21-19 in their favor. Following a Clarkson timeout, the Knights rattled off three straight to regain the lead, 22-21. However, the teams did nothing but trade points for the next few minutes as the game moved into extra scoring. Clarkson couldn't put the Saints away, but St. Lawrence couldn't score two straight to put the Knights on their heels. Finally, with the game tied at 27-27 after a Masha Kolesnikova kill fell for the Saints, St. Lawrence yielded with two straight errors, one from the service line and one from the outside, to end the game and the match. Rachael Aird finished with 14 kills and four total blocks (one solo, three assists) in the win for the Knights, while Rachel Reusch and Kendall Cheval each recorded nine kills. Reusch also had three block assists and Cheval recorded 16 digs. Savannah Peters hit .316 with seven kills and just one error in 19 swings to bolster the offense. Jillian Saenz had 33 assists and three aces, and Kate Isaksen led the team on defense with 18 digs. For St. Lawrence, Grace Kelly had a team-best 14 kills (14-8-37), but the majority of her damage came in the first set when she had seven kills on just eight swings. Masha Kolesnikova scored 10 kills and had 10 digs, while Katie Kull tossed in 38 assists and six kills. Ally Good also tallied 25 digs. Overall, St. Lawrence had 11 total team blocks (two solo, 18 assists). Mac Barnes did the most damage with seven blocks (one solo, six assists).

September 23: Through one Liberty League weekend, only two teams remain unbeaten, and one is the Clarkson University Volleyball team as the Golden Knights swept for the second straight day, downing Skidmore College in three sets, 25-17, 25-13, 25-21. The Golden Knights improved to 7-6 overall and 2-0 in conference play, while Skidmore moved to 7-6 and 1-1. Clarkson will be back at home on Wednesday when it hosts St. Lawrence University at Alumni Gymnasium. On Friday evening, Clarkson's offense was just okay, but it took little time for the Knights to assert themselves against the Thoroughbreds. In the opener, the Knights owned a modest three-point advantage (12-9) but received kills from Rachel Reusch and Maddie Bredehoeft to begin to open things up. Skidmore was sticking around late in the set, but back-to-back kills from Rachael Aird gave the Knights a seven-point lead (19-12) and Maddie Bredehoeft also tallied consecutive kills late to put Clarkson up 24-15. Block assists from Jillian Saenz and Aird ended a brief two-point rally by Skidmore. A huge run in highlighted set number two for the Knights, as an 8-6 lead jumped all the way to 19-6 with a ridiculous run from Reusch. The sophomore middle hitter was unstoppable in the second set, especially in that 11-point burst where she had four kills and a block assist. Skidmore would never get back within single digits as Clarkson cruised to a 2-0 lead. The third set was considerably tighter as Skidmore regained a little of its offense, hitting 13-6-37 in the game. However, Clarkson was even better (17-4-40) and got the kills when it was necessary. Up by just two late (21-19), Savannah Peters delivered a kill and Reusch followed with one of her own. Reusch then added a solo block to give Clarkson its first match point at 24-19. Though it would take two more points to complete the set and the match, Reusch pounded a kill in resounding fashion to finish off the Thoroughbreds. Overall, Clarkson hit .296 (45-13-108) in the match, thanks to a .480 performance from Reusch that included 15 kills with just three errors on 25 swings. Rachael Aird also hit above .400 with a 12-2-24 line (.417) and Maddie Bredehoeft nearly got there as well, going 8-0-21 (.381). Reusch also chipped in three blocks (one solo, two assists). Savannah Peters had five kills on 15 swings with no errors and a .333 percentage. Jillian Saenz found plenty of options with 40 assists and Kate Isaksen was busy with 25 digs. For Skidmore, Caite Canfield had 14 kills with four errors in 27 swings, but the rest of the Thoroughbreds combined to hit 16-15-77 (.013). Bailey Hutchins added in eight kills and a pair of aces, while Lauren Wolters produced 27 assists and Allie Dillon led the defense with 12 digs.

Clarkson’s Adrienne Walker (11) sends the ball past SUNY Plattsburgh’s Emily Miller (6).  (Jenne photo) Match Gallery

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Oct. 18: After conjuring up a hard-fought five-set triumph on Friday night, the Plattsburgh State volleyball team (5-19) was unable to stay on the winning track as it fell to SUNY Canton and No. 16 Clarkson by identical 3-0 scores in its final two matches of the Golden Knight Invitational on Saturday afternoon. MATCH ONE: SUNY Canton 3, Plattsburgh State 0 (25-13, 25-14, 25-18) Back-and-forth play dominated the early stages of the opening set, as the Cardinals found themselves trailing by just one point, 8-7. From there, though, SUNY Canton began to string points together at an alarming rate. The Kangaroos closed out the set on a 17-6 surge to obtain a 1-0 lead in the match. In the middle frame, Plattsburgh State managed to gain the upper hand with a 10-8 edge over the Kangaroos. Once again, though, SUNY Canton battled back to take the lead. This time the Kangaroos took seven of the next eight points before embarking on another run – this one of the 10-3 variety – to put the frame away. The momentum the Kangaroos had gathered up through the first two sets was present in their corner again as SUNY Canton leaped out to a 7-1 lead in the deciding frame and didn't slow from there. Plattsburgh State hit .000 in the match and was led by a five-kill performance from senior Maggie Schrantz. The Buffalo, N.Y., product chipped in two of the Cardinals' eight service aces while freshman Jordynne Ales added a team-best three. Miranda Sheffer accumulated 10 digs for Plattsburgh State while Meghan Clifford added a team-best 14 assists. Morgan Bills paced SUNY Canton on the offensive end, pounding down 11 kills to go along with three service aces and a trio of block assists. Mackenzie Mynter added a double-double of 21 assists and 15 digs – both of which were match highs. MATCH TWO: No. 16 Clarkson 3, Plattsburgh State 0 (25-13, 25-14, 25-17) Facing off against one of the top teams in all of NCAA Division III volleyball, the Cardinals were hard-pressed to put together any consistent offense. Furthermore, the Golden Knights showcased their talent from the service line, amassing 12 aces during the three-set bout. Eight attack errors in the first set made things tough on Plattsburgh State, which hit -.069 in the opening frame. Even though the Cardinals cleaned up their offensive game, the Golden Knights were able to maintain substantial leads in each of the final two sets to close out the match. Schrantz and Sheffer each tallied six kills while Emily Miller added two terminations of her own to go along with two block assists and three digs. Ales made a team-high 12 digs while Clifford added a Plattsburgh State-high 14 assists. Victoria Kirkemo was the top offensive threat for Clarkson as she posted an 11-kill, 10-dig double-double to go along with five service aces. Evanne Jiminez added a match-high 17 digs for the Golden Knights and Lauren Hutchinson totaled 36 assists. The Cardinals will take part in a midweek, non-conference match at St. Lawrence on Tuesday night. First serve is scheduled for 7 p.m. 

Oct. 17: Battling well into the late hours of the night, the Plattsburgh State volleyball team was finally able to put the brakes on its eight-match losing streak by taking down Utica College 3-2 (25-11, 25-21, 21-25, 15-25, 15-9) in the second match of the 2014 Golden Knight Invitational hosted by Clarkson University.   Thanks to the win, Plattsburgh State sees its record move up to 5-12 while the Pioneers drop to 8-17.   A big part of the Cardinals' latest triumph was the play of junior Emily Miller who struck for a match-high 16 kills to go along with three solo blocks and a pair of block assists. The AuSable Forks, N.Y., product registered a hitting percentage of .308 to lead the way.   Coming out of the gates in the strongest of fashions, the Cardinals put down 14 kills on 36 swings en route to a set one win. After factoring in a pair of attack errors during the frame, Plattsburgh State's attack percentage moved to .333.   Utica proved almost powerless to slow down the Cardinals in the second set, too. Although Plattsburgh State's attack percentage was .044 in the set, the Cardinals' defense limited the Pioneers to a mark of -.138.   In search of its first three-set triumph since September 12, Plattsburgh State instead let Utica get back into the conversation by surrendering a 25-21 score. With the momentum clearly in its corner, the Pioneers didn't let their attack slow much in the fourth frame.   Plattsburgh State suffered from a poorly-timed offensive outage as it registered an attack percentage of -.089.   The Cardinals' offense, though, came back stronger than ever in the fifth and deciding set. On 20 attack attempts, the Cardinals hammered down seven kills and a pair of attack to earn a 15-9 win and clinch the match.   In addition to Miller's great game, Plattsburgh State also got double-digit kill contributions from freshman Miranda Sheffer (11) and senior Maggie Schrantz (10). Both Schrantz and Sheffer put the finishing touches on double-doubles by racking up 23 and 22 digs respectively.   Sheffer and Jordynne Ales each chipped in three of the Cardinals' nine service aces while senior Meghan Clifford recorded a match-high 44 assists.   For the Pioneers, Samantha Hoerning led the way with 11 terminations while Briona Enny tallied a team-high 21 digs.   Plattsburgh State will shoot for back-to-back victories on Saturday when it crosses paths with SUNY Canton at 2 p.m. The Cardinals will wrap up their three-match weekend with a meeting against host and No. 16-ranked Clarkson at 4 p.m.