ROCHESTER, N.Y.—The William Smith College volleyball team earned its 10th win of the season, defeating RIT 3-1 this evening. The Herons now sit at 10-4 on the season, with a 3-1 record in the Liberty League.
Liberty League Rookie of the Week,
Malya Sayre, led the Herons with 18 kills, hitting .318 on the night. Sayre also recorded seven digs and two assists in the victory for the Herons.
MATCH MOMENTS:
- The first set between the Herons and the Tigers was a back-and forth battle with five different lead changes. The Tigers would take set one 25-21, keeping the Herons to a zero hitting percentage on the set.
- The Herons would fire back in set two with a dominating offensive performance. The Herons outhit the Tigers .233 to .107 in the set. Sayre led the way for the Heron offense with 18 kills, followed by first-years Marin Montagne and Hope Von Dohlen with six kills each. William Smith would take set two 25-16.
- The Heron defense would set the tone in set three, keeping the Tigers to a .097 hitting percentage on the set. Montagne led the Herons with 11 digs, followed by fellow first-years Cydney Fernandez with nine, and Jaylynn McCarthy with eight. William Smith would take set three, 25-21, to extend their lead.
- William Smith showed a strong serving presence, winning the service ace battle 13-7. McCarthy would close out the match with back-to-back service aces, bringing her tally to six on the night. Fernandez recorded five aces of her own, with sophomore Ariana Angus recording two for the Herons. William Smith would take set four 25-21 to seal it's third conference victory of the season.
- Sophomore Elaina Wamhoff had another dominating performance in the setter position for the Herons, recording 38 assists, seven digs, five kills and two blocks.
COACHES CORNER:
"Tonight was a gritty all-around team win," Head Coach
Derryk Williams said. "We fought hard and pulled out some tight sets against a good team. Our serve and receive game was way better tonight and it showed. Elaina put our hitters in great spots and Malya went off. It was a really great win, but we're back in focus for this weekend."
UP NEXT:
William Smith will travel to Buffalo on Saturday to take part in the Medaille Tri-Match. The Herons will take on Utica at 3 p.m., followed by Medaille at 5 p.m.
