ONEONTA, N.Y.—The William Smith College volleyball team collected two wins on Saturday to close out the Hartwick tournament. The Herons started the day with a thrilling five-set victory over Alfred State 3-2 followed by a 3-0 sweep of Morrisville State. William Smith now sits at 6-3 on the season heading into their home opener against Nazareth College on Wednesday.
MATCH MOMENTS:
Match 1 (Alfred State):
- The first set started off hot with strong attacking performances by both teams. The Herons were led by first-year Hope Von Dohlen who recorded 25 kills on the match, shattering the kills per match record that she set yesterday against Hartwick. Alfred state battled back and eventually took the set 28-26.
- The battle continued in the second set with impressive hitting by both teams. First-years 's Malya Sayre (12) and Jaylynn McCarthy (6) rounded out the leaders in kills for the Herons. The Pioneers would match the Herons attack with a strong performance in set two taking the set 25-23.
- Down 2-0, the Herons fought back taking the third set 25-18. Sophomore Elaina Wamhoff ran an efficient offense recording 45 assists on the match.
- The Herons continued pushing the tempo in set three with strong defensive efforts from Cydney Fernandez (12), Ariana Angus (11), Hope Von Dohlen (10), and Kenyce Johnson (7) delivering crucial digs throughout the match. William Smith would take set four 25-11 to force a fifth set.
- The Heron defense continued to shine in the fifth set with big blocks from senior Lauren DeVaney (6) and first-year Jaylynn McCarthy (6). William Smith would complete the reverse sweep by defeating the Pioneers 15-8 in the fifth set.
Match 2 (Morrisville State):
- The first set was an impressive battle between the Herons and the Mustangs forcing extra points to decide a winner. Sayre led the way for the Herons with nine kills on the match followed by Von Dohlen with eight. The first set battle would end in a 27-25 victory for the Herons.
- Sophomore setter Elaina Wamhoff recorded 26 assists and five kills on the match which helped lead the Herons to a 25-17 victory in set two.
- The Herons completed their sweep of Morrisville State with impressive defensive efforts in set three. Fernandez led the way with 10 digs on the match, followed by Angus with nine and Johnson with five. This would lead to the Herons to a third set win 25-13 over the Mustangs.
COACHES CORNER:
"This was a great weekend for us," Head coach
Derryk Williams said. "To be 6-3 heading into our first home match makes me very happy! Some players stepped up in different areas this weekend which helped us continue to find a way to win.
Kenyce Johnson played great today and was a huge part of our success this weekend.
Elaina Wamhoff was a steady presence throughout and really ran our offense well. Overall, were really happy and looking forward to getting back in the gym."
UP NEXT:
William Smith will host its first ever home match in school history on Wednesday night as they welcome Nazareth to Bristol Gymnasium at 6:30 p.m. in a nonconference showdown.
