ITHACA, N.Y. –The William Smith volleyball team fell twice this afternoon as it traveled to Ithaca for a tri-match with the Bombers and William Paterson. The Herons fell in a five-set thriller to conference foe, Ithaca, before falling in four to the Pioneers. William Smith falls to 18-4 on the season with a 5-1 mark in conference play, while the Bombers improve to 18-3 overall and 7-0 in the Liberty League. William Paterson improves to 14-9 on the season.
 
Senior outside Malya Sayre led William Smith with 38 kills through two matches, hitting .206 through nine sets. She added 23 digs, three service aces and one block for the Herons. Sophomore Arielle Newsome added 27 kills for William Smith, hitting .357 on the afternoon. Her 20-kill performance against Ithaca was a career-high. Newsome added nine blocks, and a dig this afternoon.
 
Sophomore Emily Fulton recorded 19 kills (.081), 24 digs, two service aces and an assist, while senior Hope Von Dohlen chipped in 11 kills (.147), four blocks and three digs in the setbacks. Senior Jaylynn McCarthy added 10 kills (.212) and four blocks for William Smith. With her second block of the day, she surpassed the 200-career block mark. McCarthy is the first Heron in program history to do so.
 
Sophomore setter Delainy Williams combined for 87 assists through two matches, averaging 9.67 assists per set. She added 10 digs, six blocks, one service ace and a kill this afternoon. Sophomore libero Kali Vanderhoof recorded 37 digs this afternoon, averaging 4.11 digs per set. She added three assists and two service aces for the Herons.
  
MATCH MOMENTS:

Match 1 (Ithaca):

• The conference thriller opened with an impressive performance by both sides. William Smith combined for 12 kills (.184) in set one, while Ithaca put down 15 kills (.275) as a team. Two kills by Naomi Clauhs would close out set one with a 25-21 win in favor of the Bombers.
• Ithaca continued on their momentum in the second set, combining for a match-high 16 kills (.519) as a team. The Bombers forced the Herons out of system as William Smith put down only 11 kills (.321). Ithaca would extend their lead to 2-0 with a 25-17 win in set two.
• William Smith stormed back in the must-win third set, putting down 16 kills (.270) as a team. The Herons turned up the heat defensively and held the Bombers to a match-low 11 kills (.111) as William Smith grabbed a 25-22 win in set three.
• The Herons continued to roll in the fourth set with a match-high 16 kills (.297) compared to the Bombers 11 (.125). Back-to-back Newsome kills would close out the fourth set on top 25-19, forcing a decisive fifth set.
• William Smith jumped out to an early 6-3 lead in the fifth set before Ithaca responded with a strong service run from Wesley Slavin. The Bombers held the Herons to five kills (.04) and combined for nine kills (.231) to close out the conference battle with a 15-8 win over William Smith.

Match stats:

• Newsome (.545) and Sayre (.236) paced the Herons with 20 kills each in the five-set battle. Newsome's 20 kills was a career high. Von Dohlen added nine kills (.250), while Fulton chipped in seven in the setback.
• Williams tallied a match and season-high 50 assists against the Bombers. She added six digs, four blocks and a kill (.333) for the Herons.
• The Herons combined for 70 digs as a team and had four players record double-digit digs. Vanderhoof led the way with 19, while Sayre added 16 for her sixth double-double of the season. Fulton chipped in 13 digs, while senior Marin Montagne added 11.
• William Smith held an 8-6 advantage in blocks against Ithaca and were led by Newsome with five. Williams chipped in four blocks while McCarthy and Von Dohlen added two each. With her second block of the day, McCarthy surpassed the 200-career block mark. She is the first Heron in program history to do so.
• The Green and White combined for five aces in the loss and were led by Fulton with two. Senior Cydney Fernandez and Montagne added one ace each for William Smith.

Match 2 (William Paterson):

• William Paterson came out hot in the opening set, putting down 13 kills (.323) as a team while holding William Smith to just eight kills (.077). The Pioneers served up four service aces to take a 25-15 win in set one.
• The Herons responded well in set two, combining for 16 kills (.250) as a team compared to the Pioneers' nine (.125). A William Paterson hitting error and a Sayre kill would close out set two with William Smith on top 25-19.
• The Pioneers flipped the script in the third set, putting down 15 kills (.225), while holding the Herons to just nine kills (.051) in set three. Despite William Smith holding a 3-0 edge in service aces in the set, William Paterson closed out set three on top 25-20.
• The back-and-forth battle continued in set four as William Smith combined for 13 kills (.175) while William Paterson combined for 15 (.237). Despite making a late push, the Herons fell 27-25 in the decisive fourth set after a kill from Cecilia Miller and a Pioneer block.

Match stats:

• Sayre led the Herons with 18 kills (.173), while Fulton chipped in 12 (.175) in the loss. McCarthy (.300) and Newsome (.087) chipped in seven kills each out of the middle.
• Williams tallied 37 assists through four sets of action. She added four digs, two blocks and a service ace for the Herons.
• William Smith combined for 54 digs as a team and were led by Vanderhoof with 18. Fulton chipped in 11 digs for her third double-double of the season. Montagne added eight digs in the loss.
• The Herons recorded seven blocks as a team and were led by Newsome with 4. McCarthy, Von Dohlen, Williams and junior Maren Hunt added two blocks each for William Smith.
• The Green and White combined for six service aces and were led by Sayre with three. Montagne, Vanderhoof and Williams chipped in one ace each in the setback.

UP NEXT:
 
William Smith will be back in action Wednesday, Oct. 29, when it hosts RIT for a midweek conference clash. Action between the Herons and the Tigers is set for 6 p.m. in Bristol Gym.