GENEVA, N.Y.—The William Smith volleyball team closed out the 2024 William Smith Tournament with 3-0 sweeps of Clark and SUNY Geneseo this afternoon in Bristol Gymnasium. The Herons move to 3-0 on the season, while the Cougars sit at 1-2 and the Knights fall to 0-3.

Junior Malya Sayre led the Herons through two games, recording 32 kills, 11 digs, seven service aces and one block. Classmate Hope Von Dohlen chipped in 18 kills, seven digs and three blocks through six sets.

First-year setter Delainy Williams compiled 69 assists, 15 digs, six kills and four service aces on the day. Williams was recognized as the William Smith Tournament's Most Valuable Player for her efforts through three matches. She was joined by Sayre and junior Marin Montagne on the All-Tournament Team.
  
MATCH MOMENTS:
 
Match 1 (Clark):

• William Smith opened its first match of the day right where it left off last night. The Herons hit .364 as a team, putting down 15 kills compared to Clark's nine (.222). Sayre led the way with four kills, while Montagne and Von Dohlen chipped in three each to give William Smith a convincing 25-16 win in set one.
• The Herons continued their momentum into the second set, putting down 16 kills (.379) as a team. The Cougars played scrappy defense to keep them in the set, but it wasn't enough as William Smith finished out on top 25-20 to extend their lead to 2-0.
• William Smith maintained a steady lead in the third, finding kills from Von Dohlen, Montagne and Sayre on the pins. The Herons held the Cougars to a match-low nine kills (.160) in the third to close out the sweep.

Match stats:

• Sayre (.333) led the Herons with 11 kills in the sweep. Von Dohlen (.438) added 10 kills, while Montagne (.211) chipped in eight. First-year Arielle Newsome (.600) recorded a career-high six kills on ten swings.
• Williams recorded a match-high 30 assists in the win. She added four kills (.800), four digs and two service aces for the Herons.
• First-year libero Kali Vanderhoof and junior defensive specialist Cydney Fernandez led the Heron defense with 11 digs each. Montagne and Sayre chipped in six each.
• William Smith showed strong from the service line, tallying 10 service aces as a team. Fernandez led the Herons with four, while Sayre recorded three.

Match 2 (SUNY Geneseo):

• The opening set between the Herons and the Knights saw eight tie scores as the two teams traded points. Sayre caught the hot hand in the first set, putting down seven kills on 13 swings, hitting an impressive .385. She led William Smith to a tight 25-23 win to grab the early lead.
• The Herons used their momentum from set one and used strong blocking at the net to stop the Knights attack. Junior Jaylynn McCarthy tallied three solo blocks in the set to help the Herons to a 25-17 win.
• William Smith could not be stopped in the third set, going on a 7-0 run with Williams at the service line. The Herons hit .281 as a team, putting down 15 kills compared to Geneseo's two (.-.185). Sayre caught the hot hand again, slamming nine kills in the third to give William Smith a dominating 25-13 win to close out the sweep.

Match stats:

• Sayre led William Smith with 21 kills, hitting an impressive .447 through three sets. Montagne chipped in nine (.250), while Von Dohlen chipped in eight (.050).
• Williams tallied 39 assists in the sweep and added 11 digs for her first double-double of the season. She also recorded two service aces and two kills.
• The Herons continued to play scrappy defense and had three players record double-digit digs. Vanderhoof, Fernandez and Williams all tallied 11 digs in the win.
• -William Smith played strong at the net and tallied seven blocks as a team. Newsome led the way with four, while McCarthy added three and Sayre chipped in one.

 
COACHES CORNER:
 
"This weekend was an amazing start to our 2024 campaign!" said Head Coach Derryk Williams.  "Delainy being named MVP was well deserved. She ran the court with poise, passion, and a determination to win, putting her hitters in great places to be successful. We had great showings from all our returners, and I was extremely impressed with how Kali, Arielle, and Delainy settled in to their first weekend of collegiate competition. We are very excited to travel to Chicago next weekend to take on some of the best teams in the country!"
 
UP NEXT:
 
William Smith will be back in action Friday, Sept 6, when it heads to Chicago to play in the University of Chicago Tournament. First serve between the Herons and the Maroons is set for 2 p.m. eastern time.