CANTON, N.Y. – The Plattsburgh State women's volleyball team swept a pair of non-conference matches on Saturday afternoon at SUNY Canton's Roos House, defeating host Canton, 3-1 (25-21, 25-10, 20-25, 28-26), before downing St. Lawrence University, 3-1 (19-25, 26-24, 25-21, 25-18).
 
Plattsburgh State rises to 6-14 overall with the wins and closes out its season next weekend at the Skidmore Tournament, beginning with an 8 p.m. match against host Skidmore College on Friday, Oct. 28. Canton falls to 6-15 overall with the loss and next visits Keuka College on Wednesday, Oct. 26, at 7 p.m., while St. Lawrence drops to 7-17 overall with the setback and next hosts Ithaca College on Friday, Oct. 28, at 7:30 p.m.
 
Plattsburgh State 3, Canton 1 (25-21, 25-10, 20-25, 28-26)
 
The Cardinals fashioned a .208 hitting percentage to cruise to a four-set win in the first match of the afternoon while outgaining the Kangaroos in service aces (10-7) and digs (82-58). Canton held an 11-8 edge in blocks.
 
Canton scored the first four points of the first set and held off Plattsburgh State until a Kangaroo service error, a service ace by first-year middle hitter Jeannette Ashong (Poughkeepsie, N.Y./Arlington) and a kill by graduate student middle hitter Alicia Fisher (Brooklyn, N.Y./Science Skills) put the Cardinals out in front, 11-10. The two teams traded points until Plattsburgh State went on a five-point surge to construct a 22-16 advantage. While Canton scored five of the next six points to cut the gap to two, Fisher and senior right side Jenn Braun (Garrison, N.Y./Walter Panas) each floored a kill to give the Cardinals a 25-21 victory in the first.
 
First-year outside hitter/right side Sanaia Estime (West Hempstead, N.Y./West Hempstead) capped off a 7-0 Cardinal run with a kill early in the second set to put Plattsburgh State ahead, 10-3, and the Kangaroos never seriously threatened the rest of the stanza in a 25-10 Plattsburgh State win in the second.
 
Both teams traded points for the majority of the third set until Canton gained separation with a 5-0 tear to take a 24-18 advantage. While Ashong floored a kill and junior setter Emma Rivers (Nesconset, N.Y./Smithtown West) landed a service ace, Canton came up with a block to seal a 25-20 triumph in the third.
 
Estime, Fisher, Rivers and Bjelko all had kills in a six-point scoring spree for the Cardinals in the fourth, putting the visitors up, 15-10. The Cardinals continued to keep the Kangaroos at arm's length until Canton went on a six-point run to take a 21-19 cushion. Braun had a pair of kills in three won points by Plattsburgh State to put the Cardinals ahead, 22-21, while Canton scored two straight points to take a 23-22 lead. The two teams traded points until Fisher floored kills on consecutive rallies to give Plattsburgh State a 25-24 advantage, and a Kangaroo attacking error and a Braun kill clinched the match victory with a 28-26 Cardinal win in the fourth.
 
Braun led the Cardinal offense with a season-high 18 kills and a .536 hitting percentage, while Fisher landed a career-high 12 kills and posted five blocks (one solo, four assist). Playing as a setter in a 5-1 offense, Rivers distributed a career-high 45 assists to complement her 14 digs, while junior libero Payton Zophy (Clifton Park, N.Y./Shenendehowa) defended a career-high 27 digs.
 
For Canton, sophomore right side Alyssa Adams had a team-high nine kills, while junior setter/right side Michaella DeCapua doled out 17 assists. Sophomore middle hitter Sarah Balcom led the defense with seven block assists and six digs.
 
Plattsburgh State 3, St. Lawrence 1 (19-25, 26-24, 25-21, 25-18)
 
The Cardinals closed out the afternoon with another four-set victory, which came largely as a result of a strong presence at the net. Plattsburgh State owned an 11-4 edge in blocks, while St. Lawrence had a 64-61 cushion in digs. Both teams recorded nine service aces, while Plattsburgh State hit .184 for the contest.
 
St. Lawrence hopped out to a 13-6 lead in the first, but Plattsburgh State countered with a 5-0 run, and junior defensive specialist/libero Shannon Fitzpatrick (Westtown, N.Y./Rhinebeck) cut the gap to 13-11 with a service ace. The Cardinals stayed within striking distance until a 7-0 spurt broke open a 23-13 advantage for the Saints. St. Lawrence prevailed, 25-19, in the first.
 
The two teams traded points in the early going of the second set, but the Cardinals went on a 6-1 run thanks in part to Fisher, who had a pair of kills and contributed on the block assist that put Plattsburgh State in front, 11-5. A 6-1 St. Lawrence run pulled the Saints within one at 18-17, and while the Cardinals pulled back ahead by as many as four points, St. Lawrence won four straight rallies to tie the score at 24-all. A Saint ball-handling error and a service ace by first-year outside hitter Maggie Lyon (Ballston Spa, N.Y./Ballston Spa) wound up giving Plattsburgh State a 26-24 triumph in the second.
 
St. Lawrence jumped out to a 4-1 advantage in the third, but Plattsburgh State countered with nine consecutive points. Braun and Ashong combined for a block assist to give the Cardinals a 10-4 cushion. St. Lawrence eventually clawed back and led by as many as four points late, but Plattsburgh State delivered a set-changing seven-point run behind the serve of first-year setter/right side Kyleigh Ganz (Phoenix, Ariz./Seton Catholic Prep) to take a 23-20 lead. After the Saints sided out the Cardinals, Braun and Ashong capped off a 25-21 set win with a pair of kills.
 
After the two teams played close in the early stages of the fourth set, the Cardinals broke the frame open with a seven-point surge, and a service ace by Zophy pinned Plattsburgh State to a 21-13 margin. St. Lawrence was unable to mount a comeback, and the Cardinals sealed the match win with a 25-18 victory in the fourth.
 
Braun once again led the offense with 13 kills and added five total blocks (one solo, four assist), while Ganz and Rivers combined for 42 assists. Zophy tallied 19 digs and three service aces, while Fisher had eight kills and five block assists.
 
For St. Lawrence, first-year outside hitter/middle hitter Julia Giroux had a 17-kill, 14-dig double-double, while first-year setter/right side Mattie Porter handed out 28 assists. First-year defensive specialist Maggie Layman defended 20 digs to led the back row defensively.