CANTON -- The St. Lawrence University volleyball team will get its 2012 season underway this weekend when it participates in the Oneonta Invitational on Friday and Saturday.

The Saints have a very young squad this fall, including the arrival of six talented first-year students.

St. Lawrence, which finished 19-17 in 2011, does return four veterans including junior captains Katie Prue and Anna Kassab as well as sophomore captain Jenna Street and classmate Aisha O'Connor. This quartet will work to lead the Scarlet and Brown through a challenging 2012 schedule.

"We feel we're a talented team from top-to-bottom," said St. Lawrence head coach Shelly Roiger, now in her third year on the job. "I think we have outstanding team chemistry at this point. Our pre-season focus has been on mental toughness and creating trust amongst our returners and newcomers."

Street is coming off of a solid rookie season that included 593 assists, including a season-high mark of 56 against SUNYIT. She shared time at setter with Kassab, who had 540 assists of her own and 244 digs. Prue and O'Connor are both defensive specialists and finished 2011 with 300 and 106 digs each, respectively.

Meanwhile, there is no question that the Scarlet and Brown will need their six first-year students to mature quickly if they're going to compete with the likes of Clarkson and Skidmore in the conference this fall. However, all six have the ability to make an immediate impact, especially at the net.

Lexi Brown and Cristina Deschaine headline Coach Roiger's class. Brown, a 5'9 outside hitter, brings power on the attack while Deschaine is a fantastic athlete and will contribute both kills and blocks. Mariah Dignan adds a sound defensive specialist that is fundamentally sound and very aggressive.

Finally, the trio of Rebecca Doser, Kate Taylor and Marisa Turner add the size up front for the Saints. At 5'11, Doser brings great quickness as a middle hitter and is coming off a high school state championship last fall. Taylor will look to own the middle of the court, while Turner adds more athleticism and another offensive weapon.

"I feel this is one of the most athletic teams I've coached in my career," added Coach Roiger. "Though we'll have learning curves early in the season, I'm excited to get underway this weekend."

St. Lawrence opens the 2012 season on Friday night against a strong St. Scholastica team and Houghton. Meanwhile, September 18 is circled on the calendar, as the Saints open Liberty League play that night in Potsdam, NY against Clarkson University.