NEW YORK, N.Y. –The William Smith volleyball team split action this afternoon as it fell to NYU 3-0 before sweeping Manhattanville in the John A. Paulson Center. With the results, the Herons improve to 14-2 overall, while the Violets move to 11-5 and the Valiants fall to 7-7 overall.
 
Senior Malya Sayre led the Herons with 21 kills (.143), 11 digs and four blocks through two matches. She averaged 3.50 kills per set, 1.83 digs per set and 3.83 points per set on the afternoon.

Senior Hope Von Dohlen (.345) and sophomore Emily Fulton (.163) added 16 kills each through two matches. Von Dohlen added four digs and three blocks, while Fulton chipped in 23 digs, and two service aces through six sets. Von Dohlen averaged 3.08 points per set on the afternoon, while Fulton tallied 2.58 points per set in the split.
 
Senior Jaylynn McCarthy (.500) added 13 kills each this afternoon. McCarthy chipped in four blocks and a dig in the nonconference matches. Sophomore setter Delainy Williams tallied 63 assists through two matches, averaging 10.50 assists per set. She added seven digs, three service aces, one block and one kill (1.000).
  
MATCH MOMENTS:
Match 1 (NYU):

• Both sides impressed in the opening set as both NYU and William Smith produced an efficient offense. The Herons combined for 11 kills (.219) in the opening set, while the Violets put down a match-high 14 kills (.275). An NYU service ace and a kill by Grace Nelson would close out the opening set in favor of the Violets 25-20.
• William Smith responded well in the second set, putting down a match-high 13 kills (.135) compared to NYU's match-low 10 kills (.189). The Violets took control of the set early on but the Herons clawed their way back into the set. William Smith's comeback fell just short as NYU closed out set two on top 25-21.
• The Violets put on an impressive performance in the third and final set as they held the Herons to a match-low six kills, while combining for 13 kills (.393). A Coco Barton kill would close out the sweep with a 25-13 win in set three for NYU.

Match stats:

• Sayre paced the Herons with 10 kills, while Fulton followed with seven (.167). McCarthy chipped in six kills (.462), while Von Dohlen added five in the loss.
• Williams tallied 24 assists in the setback. She added two digs and two service aces in the nonconference battle.
• The Herons combined for 44 digs as a team and were led by Fulton's career-high 16 digs. Sophomore libero Kali Vanderhoof added 11, while senior Marin Montagne chipped in seven.
• William Smith tallied three service aces in the loss. Williams led the way with two, while Fulton added one through three sets.

Match 2 (Manhattanville):

• The Herons responded well in their second match of the day, putting down 13 kills (.393) in the opening set against the Valiants. Manhattanville recorded a match-high 10 kills (.107) but added seven hitting errors, handing William Smith a 25-17 win in set one.
• William Smith continued to roll in the second set, combining for a match-high 16 kills (.250) and allowing Manhattanville to only eight kills (.024). Kills by Fulton and Williams would close out the second set with a 25-19 win.
• The Herons closed out the sweep with another impressive performance as they combined for 12 kills, hitting an impressive .625 clip. William Smith held Manhattanville to a match-low five kills and a -.053 hitting percentage. A Williams service ace would close out the sweep with a dominating 25-10 win in set three.

Match stats:

• Sayre (.320) and Von Dohlen (.667) paced the Herons in the second match of the day with 11 kills each. Fulton added nine kills (.160), while McCarthy chipped in seven (.545) in the sweep.
• Williams had a standout performance against the Valiants and tallied a match-high 39 assists in the win. She added five digs, one block, one service ace and one kill (1.000) for William Smith.
• The Herons combined for 39 digs as a team and were led by Vanderhoof with nine. Senior Cydney Fernandez, Fulton and Sayre chipped in seven each, while Williams added five digs.
• William Smith dominated from the service line, combining for six aces as a team. First-year Makenzie Dvorznak led the way with three aces, while Fernandez and Fulton chipped in one each.
• The Green and White looked sharp at the net and combined for seven total blocks in the win. McCarthy and Sayre led with three each, while Von Dohlen and sophomore Arielle Newsome tallied two each in the sweep.

COACHES CORNER:
 
"Today is another great day of learning for this group," said Head Coach Derryk Williams. "We struggled this morning against a really strong NYU team, and they executed well. As we have all year, I'm optimistic we will be able to take a step back, evaluate where we can improve and hit it hard moving forward!"

UP NEXT:
 
William Smith will be back in action Friday, Oct. 10, when it travels to Annandale-on-Hudson, New York, for a Liberty League matchup at Bard. Action between the Herons and the Raptors is set for 7 p.m.