Senior Cristina Deschaine had 16 kills in the opener and first year Grace Kelly added 11 kills in the nightcap leading the St. Lawrence University Volleyball team to a pair of wins Friday night on the first day of competition in the Canton Classic Tournament in Burkman Gymnasium in Canton. The Saints defeated SUNY Canton 3-2 in the opener and downed Medaille 3-0 later in the evening to complete the sweep. Competition continues Saturday at SUNY Canton for the second day of tournament action.

In the opener, St. Lawrence (9-8) dropped the first set 25-22 but rebounded for a 25-21 win in the second set to even the match. The Kangaroos (11-3) escaped with a 28-26 win in the third set but the Saints answered with a 25-21 win in the fourth and then completed the comeback with a 15-6 win in the fifth set tiebreaker.

Against Medaille, St. Lawrence swept past the Mavericks in straight sets winning 25-19, 25-22 and 25-19.

"I am very pleased with the two victories tonight," said Head Coach Shelly Roiger as the Saints added to their win streak which now stands at six matches. "I thought both teams made us earn our points rather than give them to us and we capitalized when opportunities were there."

Deschaine led the attack against Canton with her 16 kills while Masha Kolesnikova added 13 and Maddy Ruehl chipped in 11 for the Saints. Katie Kull handed out 48 assists and Mariah Dignan led the defense with 20 digs. Kull had 13 digs and Rachel Pineda added 12 for the Saints.

"The entire Canton match seemed tight every set and our sustained focus throughout that match allowed us to stay in it when Canton went on its runs," said Roiger. "We were fortunate to have momentum on our side as we entered the fifth set and our offensive efficiency due to our great passing propelled us to a victory."

In the Medaille match, Kelly led the attack with 11 kills and a .348 attack percentage while Kull led the way with 29 assists and Dignan led the defense with 15 digs. Pineda had a solid match with three aces and seven digs while Lexi Brown recorded nine kills. Deschaine finished with six kills and four blocks.

"Medaille is an extremely athletic opponent and I our ability to minimize our unforced errors was a huge asset in that match," continued Roiger. "I love that we didn't get comfortable when we jumped up 2-0 and were relentless in our desire to finish the match in three sets."

The Saints play the University of Rochester at 2 pm Saturday at SUNY Canton.

"We are playing well right now but there is no doubt in my mind that there is another level possible with this team," added Roiger. "They continue to grow in their belief in themselves and each other and we will need everything we have against a very talented University of Rochester team Saturday."