CORTLAND, N.Y.—The William Smith volleyball team extended its winning streak to nine straight this evening as the Herons earned a hard fought 3-1 win over SUNY Cortland, who was receiving votes in this week's national poll. With the win, the Herons move to 12-2 on the season, while the Red Dragons fall to 11-5 overall.
William Smith continued to impress this evening, combining for 52 kills (.164) as a team compared to Cortland's 49 (.161). The Herons recorded nine service aces on the night and held the Red Dragons to just seven aces. Both teams registered seven blocks through four sets as William Smith came out on top 3-1 for its third win this season over an opponent receiving votes in the national poll.
Junior Malya Sayre led the Herons with 22 kills, hitting .211 through four sets. She added 16 digs for her ninth double-double of the season. Sayre also added one service ace and one block in the win. Classmate Marin Montagne recorded 15 kills (.297) and 14 digs for her fourth double-double of the season. She also added two service aces and one block for the Herons. Junior Hope Von Dohlen chipped in eight kills (.121) and four blocks in the win.
Alexa Guedez led the Red Dragons with 11 kills (.286) and four blocks out of the middle. Ryan Hinshaw tallied 22 assists in the loss for Cortland.
MATCH MOMENTS:
- The Herons came out hot in the first set, combining for 11 kills (.261) as a team. William Smith served strong and had Cortland out of system often in the opening set which forced several errors for the Red Dragons. The Herons grabbed the early momentum and came out with a 25-20 win to open the match.
- Cortland responded well in the second set, putting down a match-high 15 kills (.233) as a team compared to William Smith's 11 (.175). The Red Dragons fought back with strong serving of their own in the second set to grab a 25-20 win, tying the game at 1-1.
- William Smith grabbed the momentum back in the third, jumping out to an early lead and never looking back. The Herons combined for a match-high 16 kills (.161) in the third set to regain the lead with a 25-21 win.
- The Herons continued on their momentum into the fourth set, combining for 14 kills (.109) as a team. William Smith held Cortland to a match-low 10 kills (.100) to close out the match on top 3-1 with a 25-23 win in set four.
MATCH STATS:
- Sayre paced the Herons with 22 kills (.211) and was followed by Montagne with 15 (.297). Von Dohlen chipped in eight kills (.121), while junior Jaylynn McCarthy added five kills (.176 in the win.
- First-year setter Delainy Williams had a standout performance for William Smith as she recorded a match-high 47 assists. She added six digs and one service ace in the win.
- William Smith had four players record double-digit digs this evening and combined for 70 digs as a team. First-year libero Kali Vanderhoof recorded 21 digs, while Sayre chipped in 16. Montagne tallied 14 digs, while junior Cydney Fernandez added 10 in the win.
- The Herons combined for seven blocks at the net compared to the Red Dragons seven. First-year Arielle Newsome recorded a match-high seven blocks, while Von Dohlen chipped in four.
- William Smith continued to impress from the service line, tallying nine service aces compared to Cortland's seven. Fernandez led all players with three service aces, while Montagne chipped in two.
COACHES CORNER:
"Tonight was an amazing performance from our team!" said Head Coach Derryk Williams. "Going on the road against a top team midweek is nothing shy of a difficult task, and we rose to the occasion. Malya and Marin were excellent offensively and we had some amazing contributions from the whole team. I was beyond impressed with our ability to respond to adversity tonight. It is a great win for our team and can't wait to get back to the gym to improve tomorrow."
UP NEXT:
William Smith will be back in action Friday, Oct. 11, when it returns home for two Liberty League contests against Vassar and Bard. First serve between the Herons and the Brewers on Friday is set for 7 p.m. in Bristol Gymnasium.
