CLINTON, N.Y.—The William Smith volleyball team bounced back with a 3-0 sweep of Hamilton this afternoon. With the win, the Herons improved to 12-3 on the season, while the Continentals fall to 6-6 overall.
The thrilling non-conference matchup saw William Smith combine for 43 kills (.180) compared to Hamilton's 22 (.049). The Herons held a 38-20 advantage in assists, while the Continentals held a 54-53 edge in digs. Hamilton served up six aces and recorded eight blocks, while William Smith combined for five aces and seven blocks in the win.
First-year Senya Dorny led the Herons with 10 kills (.138), three digs and two blocks in the sweep. Classmate Cassidy Breuer added 10 kills (.000), 10 digs and two blocks for her fifth double-double of the season. Junior Arielle Newsome chipped in eight kills (.368), three blocks and two service aces, while classmate Emily Fulton added six kills (.160), 10 digs, one block and one service ace. First-year Sage Duerr tallied six kills (.556), two blocks and one dig in her first collegiate start.
Ayzlinn Trefren led Hamilton with seven kills (.154), 10 digs, three blocks and one ace, while Elodie McGeiver added four kills (.091), four blocks and two digs in the loss. Lucy Proud tallied a team-leading 11 assists and nine digs in the loss.
MATCH MOMENTS:
- William Smith came out hot in the opening set, putting down 13 kills (.267) while holding Hamilton to a match-low five kills (.074). The Herons jumped out to a 5-0 lead and never looked back. A Continental service error closed out set one in favor of the Herons, 25-13.
- Hamilton fought back in the second set and put down a match-high nine kills (.051) but were matched by a strong William Smith offense that combined for a match-high 17 kills (.154). The back-and-forth battle sent the set to extra points but kills from Breuer and Fulton closed out the second set with a 28-26 win for the Herons.
- The Herons closed out the sweep with a 13-kill (.150) performance in the third set. Hamilton put down eight kills (.028) but a big block by Duerr and Breuer would close out set three with a 25-21 win for William Smith.
MATCH STATS:
- Dorny (.138) and Breuer (.000) led the Herons with 10 kills each in the win. Newsome chipped in eight kills (.368) out of the middle, while Fulton (.160) and Duerr (.556) added six kills each for William Smith. First-year Taylor Williams tallied two kills (.250) off the bench in the win.
- Junior setter Delainy Williams tallied a match-high 35 assists and added 12 digs and one kills (.250) in the sweep.
- William Smith combined for 53 digs in the win and was led by junior libero Kali Vanderhoof with 14. Williams added 12 while Breuer and Fulton chipped in 10 digs each. Dorny, and sophomore Lily Wittgraefe recorded three digs each for the Herons.
- The Herons served up five aces against Hamilton and were led by Vanderhoof and Newsome with two each. Fulton added one ace in the win.
- The Green and White combined for seven blocks as a team were led by Newsome with four. Dorny chipped in three blocks, while Breuer and Duerr added two each.
COACHES CORNER:
"This win was a really good bounce back match for us!" said Head Coach Derryk Williams. "We did a great job responding after each point and looked strong through lots of aspects of our game. I was really happy with some people stepping up to contribute in new ways today and propel us forward. Excited to host Ithaca on Wednesday at home!"
UP NEXT:
William Smith will be back in action Wednesday, Oct. 14, when it hosts Liberty League foe, No. 12 Ithaca, for a crucial conference matchup. First serve between the Herons and the Bombers is set for 6:30 p.m. in Bristol Gymnasium. The Herons are calling for a "Green Out" for Wednesday's match and are encouraging fans to wear green to support the William Smith volleyball team.
