The William Smith volleyball team will be back in action this weekend as it hosts Brandeis and Cortland for a non-conference tri-match on Saturday Nov. 8. The Herons' matchup against the Red Dragons will be its spirit game with free giveaways for fans.

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

THE SCHEDULE:

• William Smith vs. Brandies, 11 a.m.
• Brandeis vs. Cortland, 2 p.m.
• William Smith vs. Cortland, 5 p.m.

ABOUT THE HERONS:

• William Smith enters the weekend with a 19-6 overall record. The Herons went 6-2 in conference play, securing the No. 3 seed in the Liberty League Tournament.
• Senior Malya Sayre leads the Liberty League in kills per set (4.74) and points per set (5.56). She ranks third in the nation in points per set and eighth in the nation in kills per set. Sophomore Emily Fulton adds 2.58  kills per set, which ranks 12th in the conference, and 3.22 points per set, which ranks 10th in the Liberty League.
• Sophomore setter Delainy Williams leads the conference and ranks third in the nation in assists per set (10.79). As a team, the Herons lead the Liberty League and rank 17th nationally in assists per set (12.31).
• William Smith is fifth in the nation in team hitting percentage (.271) and has four players ranked in the top-12 of the conference: senior Jaylynn McCarthy (1st, .333), sophomore Arielle Newsome (5th, .325), senior Hope Von Dohlen (7th, .309), and Sayre (12th, .267).
• The Herons are second in the league in blocks per set (1.89), led by Newsome who is second in the conference (0.93) and Von Dohlen at ninth (0.64).
• Defensively, William Smith is led by sophomore libero Kali Vanderhoof, who ranks fifth in the conference in digs per set (4.00)
• The Herons lead the Liberty League in hitting percentage (.271), assists per set (12.31), opponent service aces per set (1.39), opponent hitting percentage (.126), and opponent digs (12.05).

ABOUT THE JUDGES:

• Brandeis enters the weekend 12-14 after defeating Johnson & Wales and Salve Regina last weekend.
• Anna Ertischek leads the Judges with 377 kills, averaging 3.81 per set. She is followed by Madison Haft-Abromovitch with 2.56 kills per set.
• Alexa Ho averages a team-leading 7.31 assists per set. She is followed by Julia Liang who averages 6.58 per set.
• Defensively, the team is led by Lara Demoraes who averages 3.06 digs per set. Claudia Aber leads the teams with 65 blocks, averaging 0.70 per set.
• This will be the Herons' first matchup against the Judges in program history.

ABOUT THE RED DRAGONS:

• Cortland enters the weekend 21-6 after wins against Potsdam and Plattsburgh last weekend.
• Kira Pirrera leads the Red Dragons, averaging 3.89 kills per set. She is followed by Emalee Ballou, averaging 2.70 kills per set.
• Melissa O'Connor leads the team with 443 assists on the season, averaging 5.40 assists per set. Samantha Rodriguez averages 4.93 assists per set.
• Defensively, Cortland is led by Alyssa Rich, averaging 4.44 digs per set. Lauren Millspaugh leads with 86 blocks on the season.
• This will be the Herons' third time competing against the Red Dragons. Last season the Herons defeated the Red Dragons 3-1 in Cortland, while the Red Dragons took the inaugural meeting 3-2 in Geneva in 2023.