HOBOKEN, N.J.—The William Smith volleyball team opened the 2024 Stevens Institute Tournament with a come-from-behind 3-1 win over Montclair State this evening. With their fourth straight win, the Herons move to 7-2 on the season while the Red Hawks fall to 7-4 overall.

After dropping the opening set, William Smith responded with a dominant performance against a tough Montclair side. The Herons combined for 45 kills as a team, hitting .160 and held the Red Hawks to a .054 hitting percentage on 39 kills. William Smith put on an impressive performance at the net, combining for 12 blocks as a team compared to Montclair States four.

Junior Malya Sayre led the Herons with 18 kills (.204) and 14 digs for her fifth double-double of the season. She added four blocks in the win. Classmate Hope Von Dohlen added eight kills (.353) and a career-high seven blocks for William Smith. Junior Jaylynn McCarthy chipped in seven kills (.357) and four blocks while first-year Arielle Newsome added six kills (.400) and seven blocks out of the middle.

Camryn Muuss led the Red Hawks with 11 kills, eight digs and two blocks. Emily Carcich tallied 30 assists and 10 digs in the loss.

MATCH MOMENTS:

• The Herons had a slow start in the opening set, putting down 12 kills as a team with 10 errors compared to the Red Hawks' 12 kills and three errors. The clean play propelled Montclair to a 25-16 win in the opening set.
• William Smith responded well in the second set with 13 kills (.111) as a team. The Herons held the Red Hawks to a negative hitting percentage (-.048) on eight kills with several big blocks to grab the momentum back. William Smith used the strong block to even the match at 1-1 with a 25-23 win in set two.
• The Herons continued on their momentum in the third set and put on a dominant performance, keeping Montclair to a match-low seven kills and -0.100 hitting percentage. William Smith put down nine kills (.471) to earn a convincing 25-11 win in set three.
• The Red Hawks responded well in the fourth set and took the early lead over the Herons. William Smith chipped away at the lead until a kill by Sayre tied the game at 11-11. The two sides traded points until a strong service run by first-year Emily Fulton gave the Herons a lead. William Smith closed out the match with a 25-21 win in set four to finish the match on top 3-1.

MATCH STATS:

• Sayre led the Herons with 18 kills (.204) and was followed by Von Dohlen with eight (.353). McCarthy chipped in seven (.357) while Newsome had six kills (.400) out of the middle.
• First-year setter Delainy Williams continued to impress for William Smith with 37 assists and 13 digs for her fourth double-double of the season. She added two service aces, two kills and one block in the win.
• William Smith combined for 60 digs on the night and four players register double-digit digs. Sayre led the team with 14 while Williams added 13. First-year libero Kali Vanderhoof and junior outside Marin Montagne chipped in 11 each.
• The Herons dominated at the net and combined for 12 blocks to the Red Hawks' four. Von Dohlen and Newsome tallied seven each while McCarthy chipped in four in the win. Sayre added three blocks for William Smith in the win.

COACHES CORNER:

"Tonight was a great win!" said Head Coach Derryk Williams. "We struggled out of the gate but found a way to battle back and win! After a long trip out here, we should be really pleased with the result. Two tough matches tomorrow so we have to get right back after it!"

UP NEXT:
 
William Smith will be back in action tomorrow when it concludes action at the Stevens Institute Tournament. The Herons will take on Wentworth at 11 a.m., followed by a battle with Stevens at 1:30 p.m. in Canavan Arena.