GENEVA, N.Y. –The William Smith volleyball team got back in the win column as it earned crucial nonconference wins over Brandeis and Cortland this afternoon in a tri-match in Bristol Gymnasium. The Herons swept the Judges before defeating the Red Dragons 3-1 in the regular season finale. With the wins, William Smith improves to 21-6 on the season, while Brandeis falls to 12-15 overall and Cortland drops to 22-7 on the season.
 
Senior outside Malya Sayre led the way for the Herons with 35 kills (.184) through two matches. She added 18 digs, five service aces, three blocks and two assists on the afternoon. Through seven sets, Sayre averaged 5.00 kills per set, 2.57 digs per set and 6.00 points per set.
 
Senior Jaylynn McCarthy added 18 kills for the Herons, hitting an impressive .425 clip on the afternoon. She added six blocks through two matches. Classmate Hope Von Dohlen chipped in 16 kills, hitting .448 through seven sets. She added three blocks and three digs for William Smith. Sophomores Emily Fulton and Arielle Newsome added 11 and 10 kills for the Herons, respectively. Fulton recorded 31 digs, two blocks and a service ace, while Newsome chipped in five blocks and two digs in the wins.
 
Defensively, William Smith was led by sophomore libero Kali Vanderhoof with 33 digs and five assists. Sophomore setter Delainy Williams recorded 81 assists, 12 digs, six service aces, four blocks and four kills for the Herons. She averaged 11.57 assists per set and 1.71 digs per set.
  
MATCH MOMENTS:
 
Match 1 (Brandeis):

• William Smith came out firing in the opening set, putting down 12 kills (.219) as a team compared to Brandeis' eight (.063). A kill from Fulton closed out set one with a 25-18 win in favor of the Herons.
• The Herons continued to impress in the second set, combining for 17 kills (.343) as a team, while holding the Judges to just nine kills (.094). A strong service run by Williams gave William Smith a 10-point lead and never looked back. The Herons closed out the set on top 25-18.
• William Smith put on a dominant performance in the third set, putting down a match-high 19 kills (.316) and holding Brandeis to a match-low seven kills (.061). A Judges hitting error closed out the sweep with a 25-14 win for the Herons.

Match stats:

• Sayre paced the Herons with a match-high 17 kills (.323), while McCarthy added 10 kills on zero errors (.500). Newsome (.154) and Fulton (.154) chipped in seven kills each in the win, while Von Dohlen added six (.417) for William Smith.
• Sophomore setter Delainy Williams tallied a match-high 42 assists in the sweep. She added four digs, four blocks, three service aces and a kill in the win.
• The Herons combined for 49 digs as a team and were led by Vanderhoof with 15. Fulton added 12 digs, while Sayre chipped in 10 for her team-leading eighth double-double of the season.
• William Smith combined for seven blocks as a team and were led by McCarthy with five. Williams chipped in four, while Newsome added two.
• The Green and White impressed from the service line and combined for five aces as a team. Williams led the way with three, while senior Marin Montagne and first-year Madilyn Kresl added one ace each in the win.

Match 2 (Cortland):

• William Smith continued on its momentum into its second match of the day, putting down 12 kills (.212) as a team, while holding Cortland to a match-low five kills (-.074). The Herons jumped out to a 21-8 lead after a strong service run from Fulton. Despite a late push by the Red Dragons, William Smith closed out set one on top, 25-15.
• The Red Dragons flipped the script in the second set and opened the set on a 6-0 run to set the tone early. The Herons clawed their way back into the match but couldn't close it out as they dropped set two, 25-20.
• The back-and-forth battle continued in the third set as William Smith combined for 12 kills (.267) compared to Cortland's match-high 13 kills (.088). The Herons battled defensively, forcing 10 Red Dragon hitting errors, closing out the third set with a 25-20 win.
• The fourth set saw Cortland jump out to a 17-12 lead until William Smith turned up the heat and forced the game to a 23-23 tie. A Red Dragon hitting error followed by a big kill from Sayre would close out the nonconference battle with a 25-23 win in favor of the Herons.

Match stats:

• Sayre once again paced the Herons with 18 kills (.119) in the four-set victory. Von Dohlen chipped in 10 kills (.471), while McCarthy added eight (.350) out of the middle. Fulton recorded four kills in the win, while Newsome and Williams chipped in three each.
• Williams tallied a match-high 39 assists in the win for William Smith. She added eight digs, three service aces, and three kills for the Herons.
• William Smith combined for 66 digs as a team and were led by Fulton with a career-high 19 digs. Vanderhoof chipped in 18 digs in the win, while Montagne added nine. Williams and Sayre chipped in eight digs each in the win.
• The Green and White combined for six blocks in the thriller and were led by Newsome with three. Sayre and Von Dohlen added two blocks each for William Smith.

COACHES CORNER:
 
"What an amazing day and weekend for our team!" said Head Coach Derryk Williams. "We had a beautiful banquet to celebrate our seniors last night and they balled out today. We had elite response, poise, and played with a ton of heart today. Really excited to see what happens as we enter conference playoffs this week!"
 
UP NEXT:
 
Third-seeded William Smith will be back in action Tuesday, Nov. 11, when it welcomes sixth-seeded Clarkson for the first round of the Liberty League Tournament. Action between the Herons and the Golden Knights is set for 5 p.m. in Bristol Gym.