The third-seeded William Smith volleyball team will travel to Ithaca, New York, to take on second-seeded Union in a Liberty League semifinal match Friday, Nov. 14. First serve between the Herons and the Garnet Chargers is set for 6:30 p.m. in Ben Light Gymnasium.  
 
The winner will advance to take on the winner of the second semifinal match between top-seeded Ithaca and fourth-seeded Skidmore. Saturday's championship match is set for 5 p.m. in Ithaca.
 
Fans who can't make it to Ben Light Gymnasium can follow all the action with live stats and video courtesy of Ithaca Athletics. 
 
ABOUT THE HERONS: 

• William Smith enters championship weekend with a 22-6 record. The Herons defeated sixth-seeded Clarkson on Tuesday 3-0 to advance to the semifinals. 

• Senior Malya Sayre leads William Smith with 450 kills, averaging 4.74 kills per set. She ranks first in the Liberty League and seventh in the nation in kills per set. Sayre averages a league-leading 5.60 points per set which ranks third in the nation. She also ranks sixth in the conference in service aces, averaging 0.56 per set.   

• Sophomore Emily Fulton has also been a key contributor for the Herons offense, averaging 2.53 kills per set. Fulton ranks 11th in the conference in kills per set and points per set.

• Sophomore setter Delainy Williams leads the conference and ranks second in the nation in assists per set, averaging 10.93.  

• William Smith has three players ranked in the top-12 of the conference in hitting percentage: senior Jaylynn McCarthy (1st, .344), senior Hope Von Dohlen (2nd, .332), and Arielle Newsome (7th, .319). The Herons are first in the Liberty League and fifth in the nation in team hitting percentage (.270).  

• The Herons lead the league in blocks per set (1.93), with Newsome ranked second in the conference (0.95) and Von Dohlen ranked 10th in the conference (0.64).   

• Defensively, the Herons are led by sophomore libero Kali Vanderhoof, who ranks fifth in the conference in digs per set (4.02).  

ABOUT THE GARNET CHARGERS: 

• Union enters championship weekend with a 22-8 record. 

• Shannon McGrath leads Union with 392 kills, averaging 4.22 per set. She is followed by Shea Ringel with 2.47 kills per set. 

• Allie Kronenberg leads the Garnet Chargers from the setter position with 995 assists. Her 9.85 assists per set ranks third in the conference.  

• Georgia Pool ranks third in the Liberty League in digs per set (4.66).  

• Maddie McCarron leads Union with 0.89 blocks per set, which ranks fourth in the conference.  

• Last time they met, Union defeated William Smith 3-1 on Nov. 1, in Schenectady. Sayre led the Herons with 17 kills.  

ABOUT THE BOMBERS:

• Ithaca enters the weekend with a 24-4 record and is the top-seed in the tournament. The Bombers are ranked No. 15 in this week's AVCA poll.  

• Naomi Clauhs leads Ithaca with 387 kills this season, averaging 3.95 per set. She is followed by Gabriela Gonzalez-Abreu with 3.57 kills per set.  

• Wesley Slavin leads the Bombers from the setter position with 1,015 assists this season. Her 10.36 assists per set ranks second in the conference.  

• Defensively, Ithaca is led by Ellie Benedict who averages a league-leading 5.61 digs per set. Ella Graper averages a team and conference-leading 1.01 blocks per set. 

• Last time they met, Ithaca defeated William Smith in a five-set thriller on Oct. 25, in Ithaca. Sayre and Newsome led the Herons with 20 kills each.  

ABOUT THE THOUROUGHBREDS:  

• Skidmore enters the weekend with a 16-9 record and is the fourth seed in the tournament. The Thoroughbreds advanced to the semifinal match after defeating fifth-seeded Vassar 3-2 on Tuesday.  

• Natalie Pedersen and Maya Stolarz lead the team with 2.52 and 2.41 kills per set, respectively.  

• Catriona Hoelperl leads the Thoroughbreds from the setter position with 7.18 assists per set.  

• Defensively, Skidmore is led by Marlowe McIntyre, who averages 4.15 digs per set, which is fourth in the league. Katy O'Connell leads the team in blocks per set, averaging 0.84.  

• Last time they met, William Smith defeated Skidmore 3-1 in Geneva on Oct. 18. Sayre led the Herons with 18 kills.