ITHACA, N.Y.—The William Smith College volleyball team fell 3-0 to No. 22 Ithaca College this evening in the Liberty League title match in Ben Light Gymnasium. The second-seeded Herons fall to 15-10 while the top-seeded Bombers move to 25-4 and earn the conference's automatic bid to the 2023 NCAA Division III Women's Volleyball Championships.
William Smith put down 36 kills as a team, hitting .206 compared to Ithaca's 44 kills and .354 hitting percentage. The Bombers held an 8-3 advantage in service aces over the Herons, helping Ithaca to its second straight title.
Sophomore
Malya Sayre led William Smith with her eighth double-double of the season, recording 14 kills (.194) and 13 digs. Sayre also chipped in two service aces and two solo blocks in the Herons first appearance in the conference title match.
MATCH MOMENTS:
- Ithaca opened the contest on a 4-0 run before a Bomber service error and a kill by sophomore Hope Von Dohlen cut the deficit to two. William Smith put down 10 kills as a team, hitting .167 compared to Ithaca's 14 kills and .313 hitting percentage. The opening set saw the top-seeded Bombers finish on top 25-17.
- Ithaca produced its best attacking set of the match in the second set, hitting an impressive .571 as a team and recording 16 kills. The Herons played strong but couldn't find a response to the Bombers efficient hitting, ultimately resulting in a 25-13 loss in set two.
- In the must-win third set William Smith stepped up its game, firing off 16 kills, hitting a match-best .233 hitting percentage. Sophomore Jaylynn McCarthy found the hot hand in the third set with two big kills and one solo block to keep the Herons within reach. Despite leading the set in kills and efficiency, Ithaca used a late run to grab a 25-22 win in set three to close out the match on top 3-0.
MATCH STATS:
- Sayre led the Herons with 14 kills (.194), while sophomore Marin Montagne chipped in 12 (.276). McCarthy (.444) and Von Dohlen (.133) added four kills each while McCarthy went without a single attack error.
- Junior setter Elaina Wamhoff continued to shine for William Smith and recorded 31 assists, four digs and two blocks in the loss.
- First-year Maysie Malinaric recorded a team-leading 15 digs while Sayre chipped in 13. Montagne added five while Wamhoff recorded four digs.
COACHES CORNER:
"I am truly proud of the things this group accomplished over the last two years," Head Coach
Derryk Williams said. "They have created a culture of hard work, drive, and success. I am so grateful and want to thank all of the people that support our program and help us be successful! This was the best group of women I've ever had the opportunity to coach, and I can't wait to work with them all in the spring to bring home the title next year!"
