CANTON, N.Y. – The Union College women's volleyball team began a key weekend in the North Country with a 3-0 (25-19, 25-21, 25-19) victory over St. Lawrence University in Liberty League action on Friday evening at Burkman Gymnasium.
The win keeps Union (15-8, 4-1 Liberty League) in firm possession of third place in the conference standings with three matches remaining and also gives the team its best five-match start to conference play since the Liberty League started regular-season play in 2011.
Senior
Shannon McGrath led the Garnet Chargers with a match-high 11 kills and came one dig away from a double-double with nine. First-year
Shea Ringel chipped in eight kills and sophomore
Allie Kronenberg added a double-double of 27 assists and 11 digs to go with three kills and a block, while senior
Georgia Pool matched Kronenberg with a team-best 11 digs in addition to three assists and three service aces.
Union used a well-balanced attack to take the opening set, with no Garnet Charger putting down more than three kills in the frame. Holding a 13-10 lead, the visitors scored seven of the next 10 points to gain some separation and eventually take the set.
The Garnet Chargers hit .333 with 15 kills in the second stanza to counter a SLU side that made only one error. The lead exchanged hands seven times in the period, as neither side led by more than two for most of the set. But with the score tied at 20, a SLU error was followed by back-to-back McGrath kills and a Kronenberg block to bring up set point, where another McGrath kill gave the visitors a 2-0 lead.
Union had to play catch up in the third set after St. Lawrence jumped out to an early 9-3 lead. But the visitors did just that, scoring eight of the next 10 points to get back to even and adding a 10-3 run on top of that to quickly reassert control. After the Saints got back within three, two SLU errors and kills from McGrath and sophomore
Georgia Pinciaro finished off the sweep.
Union will look to secure its postseason positioning tomorrow with another crucial Liberty League matchup at Clarkson University beginning at 2 p.m. in Potsdam.
