CANTON, N.Y. – The Plattsburgh State women's volleyball team gave St. Lawrence University all it could handle, but the Cardinals came up just short of an upset in a 3-2 (25-18, 25-13, 21-25, 20-25, 15-8) loss to the Saints in non-conference action on Tuesday evening at Burkman Gymnasium.
 
In a match that saw the Cardinals challenge the Saints with strong back-row defense, junior libero Abby Bone (Plattsburgh, N.Y./Beekmantown) produced her strongest performance in a Plattsburgh State uniform, defending a career-high 29 digs. At the net defensively, junior middle blocker Michelle Simmons (Riverside, Calif./Riverside Poly) and sophomore middle blocker Tara McGovern (Holbrook, N.Y./Sachem North) each had three total blocks (one solo, two assist).
 
Despite hitting in the negative in the first two sets, the Cardinals bounced back to hit .052 for the match, which included a .222 clip in the third set on 13 kills and five errors in 36 total attempts. The Saints hit .104 for the contest and never hit higher than .132 in any of the five sets. St. Lawrence finished with a 13-4 edge in service aces, a 7-6 cushion in blocks and a 100-97 advantage in digs.
 
Plattsburgh State drops to 7-16 overall with the loss and next hosts Buffalo State in a State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) match on Friday, Oct. 25, at 6 p.m. Prior to the start of the match, the Cardinals will honor their two seniors, setter/opposite Brianna Coon (Plattsburgh, N.Y./Plattsburgh) and outside hitter Megan Hyde (Schenectady, N.Y./Schalmont), as a part of Senior Night. St. Lawrence rises to 21-5 overall with the win and next hosts the Rochester Institute of Technology on Friday, Oct. 25, at 4 p.m.
 
The two teams traded runs early in the first set, and back-to-back kills by Hyde and Simmons pulled the Cardinals within 16-14. After each team took turns siding each other out, St. Lawrence went on a 4-0 surge and ultimately won the frame, 25-18.
 
The Saints scored the first three points of the second and never trailed in the frame, using a 5-0 run and four separate 3-0 spurts to prevail, 25-13, in the set.
 
St. Lawrence appeared to be on its way to a straight-set win early in the third, scoring five straight points to take a 9-6 lead. The Saints led by as many as five (18-13) before the Cardinals mounted a comeback. Plattsburgh State went on a 10-2 tear that included two kills by Hyde and one kill each from sophomore middle blocker Ann Beauchamp (Potsdam, N.Y./Potsdam) and Simmons, and a Saint ball-handling error staked the Cardinals to a 23-20 advantage. St. Lawrence got the serve back after a kill by sophomore right side/middle hitter Courtney Benson, but Plattsburgh State sealed a 25-21 win in the third with a kill by Simmons and a solo block by McGovern to close out the set.
 
With momentum on its side, Plattsburgh State used a 9-2 surge midway through the fourth set to build a 16-9 lead. A service ace by Hyde capped off the run. Plattsburgh State never allowed St. Lawrence to score more than two straight points down the stretch in the set, and a kill by freshmen outside hitter/opposite Jenn Braun (Garrison, N.Y./Walter Panas) punctuated a 25-20 victory in the fourth for the Cardinals.
 
St. Lawrence never trailed in the deciding set, hopping out to a 4-0 lead. Braun capped off a 4-0 run for the Cardinals that pulled the visitors within 11-7, and while Braun floored another kill two points later, the Saints pulled out a match-clinching 15-8 triumph in the fifth.
 
Hyde led the Cardinals with a 10-kill, 21-dig double-double, while junior setter Allyssa Rock (West Chazy, N.Y./Beekmantown) also had a double-double, dishing out 29 assists and registering 10 digs. Junior outside hitter Rachel Mennonna (Selden, N.Y./Newfield) also had a strong performance with five kills and 18 digs.
 
For St. Lawrence, sophomore outside hitter/middle hitter Annika Kreppein and sophomore outside hitter/right side Natalie Piper each had double-doubles with 13 kills and 25 digs and 12 kills and 16 digs, respectively. Kreppein also landed five service aces. Senior middle hitter/right side Mac Barnes had six total blocks (three solo, three assist), while senior setter/defensive specialist Jenna Britton distributed 29 assists.