Senior Grace Kelly and first-year Natalie Piper led the St. Lawrence University volleyball team with 10 kills each, but the Vassar Brewers topped the Saints 3-0 in Liberty League play on Friday night in Poughkeepsie, New York.

The Brewers topped the Saints by scores of 25-19, 25-19 and 25-20.

Reagan Collier-Hogan posted a team-best 13 digs, while Piper recorded 12 and Maddy Bishop added nine and assisted on 14 plays for the Saints. Piper also recorded two service aces, while Amanda Teppo and Julia Wagner combined for five blocks.

St. Lawrence kicked off the first set with a 5-2 lead over Vassar, but the Brewers bounced back tying the set at eight and posting a 4-1 run to take a 12-11 lead. A 7-1 run down the stretch put the Brewers up 19-13 and the Saints just weren't able to catch up. Devan Gallagher set up Jane McLeod for Vassar's final point.

The Brewers opened the second set with a 6-4 lead. The Saints were able to tie the set three times, but a 6-1 run gave Vassar a 20-12 lead, and despite a significant comeback attempt by the Saints, the Brewers claimed the second set 25-19 on a kill from Gallagher.

In the third set, both teams battled point-for-point for the lead. A kill from Mac Barnes and service ace from Piper put the Saints up 13-11, but four straight point from the Brewers gave Vassar a 15-13 edge. A kill from Ally Good tied the set at 16, but a 6-2 run sealed the final set for Vassar.

Vassar was led by Gallagher with 19 kills and 11 digs, while Sara Ehnstrom and McLeod recorded 13 kills each. Annie MacMillan and Anna Zucchero totaled 15 digs each, while Ehnstrom recorded a team-best three blocks.

"A key factor in defeating a very good Vassar team was to win the battle of the first contact and we failed to do that," said head coach Shelly Roiger. "They forced us out of system for most of the match and we struggled executing on offense. Our first ball side out percentage was very poor tonight and when we didn't do that, Vassar often made us pay for it. It's a very disappointing loss in terms of Liberty League results, but the team has a goal of 20 wins this season and that's all in our control. We'll look to start a winning streak and a great rest of the season when we travel to Bard tomorrow."

The Brewers held a 50-31 kill advantage and edged the Saints in digs (66-50), but the Scarlet and Brown held a 6-4 lead in service aces and an 8-6 advantage in blocks.

With the loss, the Saints fell to 12-7 on the season and 0-4 in conference play, while Vassar improved to 10-6 and 2-1.

St. Lawrence will continue league play with a 2 p.m. match at Bard tomorrow, October 6.