Skip To Main Content
Skip To Main Content

Hobart and William Smith Colleges Athletics

Hobart and William Smith Logo
Delainy Williams setting
ADAM FARID '20

Herons set to host Thoroughbreds Saturday

10/17/2025 11:33:00 AM

By: Julia Chase '27
The William Smith volleyball team will be back in action Saturday, Oct. 18, when it welcomes Skidmore for a Liberty League match at 2 p.m. in Bristol Gymnasium. 

Saturday's matchup with the Thoroughbreds will be the Herons' Breast Cancer Awareness game. The Herons will also welcome Canandaigua and Geneva youth volleyball programs to Bristol Gym.

Fans who can't make it to Bristol Gymnasium can follow all the action with HWS All-Access Video and Live Stats.

ABOUT THE HERONS:
  • William Smith is off to its best start in program history with a 17-2 overall record and a 4-0 mark in conference play. The Herons are receiving 61 votes in this week's AVCA national poll.
  • Senior Malya Sayre leads the nation in kills per set (5.02) and points per set (5.93). After four aces against the St. Lawrence, she became the first Heron in program history to surpass the 150-career ace mark.
  • Sophomore setter Delainy Williams leads the Liberty League and is second in the nation in assists per set (11.05). The Herons are sixth in the nation in assists per set as a team (12.73).
  • Sophomore Emily Fulton leads the conference in service aces per set (0.73), seventh in points per set (3.69), and ninth in kills per set (2.87).
  • William Smith leads the nation in team hitting percentage (.293) and has five players in the top 10 in the conference: sophomore Arielle Newsome (2nd, .347), senior Jaylynn McCarthy (4th, .321), sophomore Emily Fulton (5th, .313). senior Hope Von Dohlen (8th, .311), and Sayre (9th, .284).
  • The Herons are third in the league in blocks per set(1.88) and are led by Newsome who is second in the conference (0.83).
  • Defensively, William Smith is led by sophomore libero Kali Vanderhoof, who ranks fifth in the conference in digs per set (3.82). 
ABOUT THE THOROUBREDS: 
  • Skidmore enters the weekend with a 9-8 overall record and is 2-2 in Liberty League play. The Thoroughbreds are coming off a 3-0 win over St. Lawrence last Friday.
  • Natalie Pedersen leads the Thoroughbred's offensively, averaging 2.44 kills per set. Maya Stolarz follows closely behind with 2.38 kills per set.
  • Catriona Hoelperl averages a team-leading 6.22 assists per set for Skidmore.
  • Defensively, Marlowe McIntyre leads the Thoroughbreds with 4.27 digs per set, while Jazlin Chen and Katy O'Connell lead the team in blocks with 44 blocks apiece. 
SERIES HISTORY:
  • Saturday will be the fourth meeting between William Smith and Skidmore. The Herons have won the previous three matches with the Thoroughbreds.
  • Last season on Oct. 19, 2024, William Smith defeated Skidmore 3-1 in Saratoga Springs, New York. Sayre and senior Marin Montagne both recorded double-doubles in the win.
Print Friendly Version