The William Smith volleyball team will play three non-conference matches at home this weekend as it hosts the 2025 William Smith Tournament. The Herons will welcome Buffalo State on Friday, Sept. 2, and Hamilton and Alfred on Saturday, Sept. 3 to Bristol Gymnasium.

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:
    Friday, Sept. 5

• Alfred vs. Hamilton, 3:30 p.m.
• William Smith vs. Buffalo St., 6 p.m.

    Saturday, Sept. 6

• Hamilton vs. Buffalo St., 10:30 a.m.
• William Smith vs. Hamilton, 1 p.m.
• Buffalo St. vs. Alfred, 3:30 p.m.
• William Smith vs. Alfred, 6 p.m.

ABOUT THE HERONS:

• William Smith enters the weekend with a 3-0 record after defeating Scranton, Mary Washington, and Misericordia last weekend.
• The Herons received 23 votes in this week's AVCA national poll after not appearing in the preseason poll.
• Senior Malya Sayre leads the Herons with 52 kills and the Liberty League with 62.5 points overall. Sophomore Emily Fulton added 21 kills over the weekend (3.00 per set) and ranks ninth in the conference.  
• The Herons came out strong from the service line, tallying 32 service aces through three matches. Sophomore Kali Vanderhoof leads the team with seven aces and was named to the All-Tournament Team for her performances, adding 39 digs and 11 assists last weekend. Vanderhoof currently sits sixth in the conference for digs per match and 10th for service aces per set.
• Sophomore setter Delainy Williams leads the team with 94 assists. She is sixth in the Liberty League standings, averaging 8.55 per set.
• The Herons were disciplined at the net, recording 24 blocks on the weekend. Senior Hope Von Dohlen leads the team with 12 blocks, ranking third in the conference, while sophomore Arielle Newsome ranks 11th in the conference with eight blocks.

ABOUT THE BENGALS:

• Buffalo State enters the weekend 0-4 after falling to No. 7 La Verne, Chapman, California Lutheran, and Pomona Pitzer last weekend.
• Ella Wittman leads the Bengals with 45 kills, averaging 3.75 per set. She is followed by Nicole Delli Colli with 2.25 kills per set.
• April Jakubowski leads the team with 57 assists this season, averaging 5.18 per set. She is followed by Karlie Shaffer with 33 assists (3.30/set).
• Defensively, the team is led by Adi Vergara, who averages 4.42 digs per set. Delaney McCarthy leads the teams with 10 blocks, averaging 0.83 per set.
• This will be the Herons' first matchup against the Bengals in program history.

ABOUT THE CONTINENTALS:

• Hamilton opens its season on Friday, Sept. 5 against Alfred and is coming off a 5-14 season in 2024.
• Elodie McGeiver led the 2024 squad with a total of 207 kills (2.88 per set).
• Pati Cerda had a team-leading 474 assists, averaging 6.87 per set.
• Defensively, Ayzlinn Trefren led the Continentals with 3.86 digs per set, followed by Mia Jessen averaging 3.77 digs per set. Caitlin Allen recorded a team-leading 0.83 blocks per set.
• Last season, William Smith defeated Hamilton 3-1 in Clinton, New York.

ABOUT THE SAXONS:

• Alfred University enters the weekend 0-4 after competing against Mount Union, Denison, Marietta, and DePauw last weekend.
• Carleigh Santavy leads the Saxons with 36 kills, averaging 3.00 per set. She is followed by Taylor Malone averaging 1.58 kills per set.
• Delaney Sims leads the team with 81 assists, averaging 6.75 per set. She also leads the team defensively with 41 digs (3.42 per set).
• The Herons are 2-0 in previous meetings with the Saxons.