ONEONTA -- The St. Lawrence University volleyball team went 2-2 in its opening tournament of the year, the Oneonta Invitational After falling to the hosting Red Dragons and Kean on Friday, the Saints knocked off Emmanuel College and Hartwick on Saturday behind the strong defensive play of senior captain Katie Prue, who earned All-Tournament Team honors.

Despite two tough losses on Friday, St. Lawrence rebounded for two straight set victories to close out the tournament. The Saints topped Emmanuel 25-18, 26-24, 25-21 and Hartwick 25-17, 25-9, 26-24. St. Lawrence was also competitive in their opening match to Oneonta, falling 25-22, 25-22, 25-23 and pushed Kean to four games in a 3-1 loss (23-25, 25-20, 25-17, 25-21).

"While we certainly had some moments with strong execution on Friday, we had far too many errors that served as momentum killers," said St. Lawrence head coach Shelly Roiger. "We played much cleaner volleyball today and our overall energy level was outstanding, which was critical after a round start yesterday. There's a lot of room for improvement, but I believe our potential for this season is very high."

After St. Lawrence started the tournament with two losses, Prue delivered a fantastic 20-dig effort against the Saints of Emmanuel on Saturday to help her team pick up its first win. Sophomore Lexi Brown and rookie Amanda Brooks led the way offensively with eight kills eight while junior co-captain Jenna Street had 18 assists.

Prue was again solid in the final match of the tournament against Hartwick, adding 18 more digs en route to the 3-0 sweep. The Saints' front line was also sharp, posting 6.0 blocks against the Hawks, while the rookie trio of Brooks, Rebecca Briggs and Kat Marczeski combined for 18 kills in the victory.

St. Lawrence will compete in the 2013 Victory Promotions Tournament next weekend, as they host matches in the Burkman Gymnasium. The Saints will square off with SUNY Canton and St. Michael's on Friday and Queens and Southern Vermont on Saturday.