Poughkeepsie, NY - Just like the previous three matches with St. Lawrence, the Clarkson University Volleyball team played tight sets with its nearby rival Saturday in the Liberty League Championship Tournament. More importantly, the outcome was the same for the Golden Knights as they beat the Saints in four sets, 25-23, 25-22, 21-25, 25-16.
The Golden Knights improved to 27-6 overall and are 2-1 at the Liberty League Championships. Clarkson still has a chance of claiming its first Liberty League title. If Vassar defeats Skidmore, and Clarkson beats Vassar, then Clarkson will be the champion, or if Skidmore were to defeat Vassar and lose to Union, coupled with a Clarkson win over Vassar, the Knights would still claim the title.
Despite a strong serving effort from St. Lawrence, the Knights controlled many aspects of Saturday's match up with a strong defensive effort at the net and on the back row. Clarkson had six total blocks with just one error, while the Saints had four total blocks but three miscues. Leading the Knights had the net was senior MacKenzie Cook (Syracuse, NY) who had four blocks, and proved just as dangerous offensively with 11 kills and just one error in 26 swings. Junior libero Alison Schroeder (Webster, NY) led the team with 33 digs to go along with three service aces. Four others had double-digit dig figures, including Amanda Rankin (Horseheads, NY) with 19, Davanna Chetney (Fulton, NY) with 16, Jenna Stock (Johnstown, NY) with 15 digs, and Sara Artus (St. Regis Falls, NY), who had 11 digs.
Offensively, Artus again led the team with 18 kills, pushing her within striking distance of 500 for the season. Artus has averaged 5.6 kills per set through the first three matches, a nearly unimaginable figure. Setting up Artus has been Stock, who also contributed 37 assists against St. Lawrence. Sophomore Megan Mahon (Irvine, CA) joined Artus and Cook in double-figures in the kills department, tayllying 10 of her own.