GENEVA, N.Y.—The William Smith volleyball team cruised to fourth straight conference sweep this afternoon as the Herons defeated Bard 3-0 in Bristol Gymnasium. With the win, the Herons extend their win streak to 11 straight and move to 14-2 overall with a 4-0 mark in conference play. The Raptors fall to 4-15 with the loss, including a 0-3 record in the Liberty League.

William Smith put on a dominant performance against Bard, combining for 45 kills as a team, hitting a collective .333 hitting percentage. The Herons held the Raptors to just 12 kills and a -.041 hitting percentage through three sets. William Smith and Bard tallied seven service aces each in the conference matchup. The Herons held a 3-1 advantage in blocks against the Raptors.

Junior Malya Sayre led William Smith with a match-high 16 kills, hitting .382 through three sets. She added 11 digs for her ninth double-double of the season. Classmate Marin Montagne (.400) and first-year Arielle Newsome (.533) chipped in nine kills each and combined for eight digs and two blocks. First-year libero Kali Vanderhoof tallied a match-high 15 digs in the sweep.

LaeAnna Riley led the Raptors with four kills (.091) and three digs. Becca Wintjen tallied nine assists in the loss.

MATCH MOMENTS:

• The Herons came out flying in the opening set, putting down 14 kills (.480) as a team while holding the Raptors to a match-low two kills (-.200). Sayre led William Smith with five kills on nine swings to earn a convincing 25-10 win to open the match.
• Bard responded well in the second set and jumped out to a 9-1 lead after several errors by the Herons. William Smith flipped the script and grabbed the momentum back through five kills from Montagne and four from Newsome. The Herons closed out the set with two service aces by junior Cydney Fernandez to earn a 25-20 win in set two.
• William Smith put on a dominant performance in the third set and jumped out to a 13-0 lead to start the set. The Herons combined for 14 kills (.462) as a team and held the Raptors to six (.000) to close out the sweep with a 25-10 win in set three.

MATCH STATS:

• Sayre paced the Herons with 16 kills (.382) and was followed by Montagne (.400) and Newsome (.533) with nine each. Junior Jaylynn McCarthy added six kills (.455) in the win.
• First-year setter Delainy Williams ran William Smith's offense and tallied 38 assists. She added two digs and one service ace in the win. Sophomore Maysie Malinaric added three assists, and one kill out of the setter position.
• The Herons combined for 43 digs as a team compared to the Raptors 32. Vanderhoof led the team with 15, while Sayre chipped in 11 and Montagne added eight. Fernandez recorded five digs in the win.
• William Smith tallied seven service aces as a team and were led by Fernandez and McCarthy with two each. Montagne, Sayre and Williams all added one service ace each in the sweep.

COACHES CORNER:

"We are really happy to get a conference win however they come, and today we executed a lot of things at a really high level," said Head Coach Derryk Williams. "Our hitting continues to improve, and our defense was really disciplined overall. I am excited to host Ithaca on Wednesday which I am sure will be a really entertaining match."

UP NEXT:
 
William Smith will be back in action Wednesday, Oct. 16, when it hosts No. 20 Ithaca (14-3, 4-0) in a crucial conference matchup. The rematch of the 2023 Liberty League championship match is set for 6 p.m., in Bristol Gymnasium.