ONEONTA, N.Y.—The William Smith College volleyball team defeated Hartwick College in a record breaking five-set match.
The Herons and Hawks fought back and forth throughout the five-set match in dramatic fashion going into extra point situations in two of the five sets. Leading the Herons offense was first-year
Hope Von Dohlen hitting .302 on 19 kills, setting the school record for kills in a match.
MATCH MOMENTS:
- The first set of the night started strong with both sides playing impressive volleyball. The Hawks (.237) outhit the Herons (.122) in set one and eventually took the set 28-26.
- The Herons came firing back in set two thanks to a strong performance by sophomore setter Elaina Wamhoff, who recorded 51 assists on the night. Wamhoff's 51 assists shattered her previous record of 38 assists against SUNY Canton. The Herons would take set two 25-15.
- William Smith would continue to impress in set three, winning 25-20. The Herons offense showed strong with four different players recording 10+ kills including Von Dohlen (19), Elizaveta Telepova (17), Malya Sayre (11) and Jaylynn McCarthy (10).
- The fourth set showed scrappy defensive efforts by both sides. Leading the defensive efforts for William Smith was first-year Cydney Fernandez with 20 digs, followed by Wamhoff with 15 and Ariana Angus with 12. Senior Lauren DeVaney recorded nine huge blocks on the night, breaking the school record for blocks in a match. The Herons would eventually fall in the fourth set 25-23 forcing a fifth set.
- The Hawks would start the fifth set on a 6-0 run. But thanks to strong serving, the Herons would go on a seven-point run to take back the Lead. The Herons won the service battle with 13 aces compared to the Hawks five. McCarthy led the way with six aces followed by Wamhoff with three and Angus with two. William Smith took set five 18-16, winning its first ever five set match.
COACHES CORNER:
"What an incredible win today!" Head Coach
Derryk Williams said. "Hartwick battled the entire match, and we became a better team from playing them. Jaylynn had a great match for us today and
Hope Von Dohlen had her best match of the year. It was only fitting for her to get a kill to finish the match for us! We must rest, recover, and be ready for two good teams tomorrow."
UP NEXT:
William Smith will continue its road trip at Hartwick College with two matches against Alfred State (10 a.m.) and Morrisville State (12:30 p.m.).
