GENEVA, N.Y.—The William Smith volleyball team bounced back with a dominant 3-0 sweep of Bard this afternoon in Bristol Gymnasium. With the win, the Herons improved to 13-4 on the season with a 4-1 mark in conference play, while the Raptors fell to 5-17 overall and 0-6 in the Liberty League.
William Smith put on a dominant performance in the conference sweep. The Herons combined for 35 kills (.238), compared to Bard's 21 (.000). William Smith held a 34-28 advantage in digs and a 35-20 edge in assists in the sweep. The Herons served up 11 aces compared to the Raptors' six and tallied seven blocks compared to Bard's two.
Junior Emily Fulton led William Smith with 11 kills (.333), four digs, two service aces, two blocks and an assist in the win. Classmate Arielle Newsome added nine kills (.563) on zero errors out of the middle. Newsome also tallied three blocks, three digs and two service aces in the win. First-year Cassidy Breuer chipped in nine kills (.083) one dig and one assist, while classmate Senya Dorny added three kills (.125) and four blocks out of the middle.
Nala Roman led Bard with seven kills (.087), while Isis Pribble added six kills, five digs, four aces and three assists in the loss. Paola De La Cruz tallied a team-high 14 assists in the loss.
MATCH MOMENTS:
- William Smith came out firing in the opening set, combining for 12 kills (.250) as a team compared to Bard's six (.000). Breuer and Newsome led the Herons with four kills each as William Smith closed out set one on top, 25-16.
- The Herons continued to roll in set two, putting down a match-high 13 kills (.200). The Raptors responded with a match-high 10 kills (.048) but were matched by an efficient William Smith side that closed out set two on top 25-20 thanks to a big kill from Newsome.
- William Smith closed out the sweep with a dominant third set, combining for 10 kills (.238) compared to Bard's match-low five kills (-0.111). The Herons forced the Raptors into seven hitting errors and served up five aces to close out the conference win with a 25-14 win in set three.
MATCH STATS:
- Fulton led William Smith with 11 kills (.333), while Newsome (.563) and Breuer (.083) chipped in nine kills each in the win. Dorny (.125) added three out of the middle, while junior Delainy Williams added two (.667) and first-year Taylor Williams added one in her first collegiate start.
- Williams led the Herons from the setter position, recording 24 assists, four aces, two kills (.667), two blocks and a dig in the win. Sophomores Madilyn Kresl and Estella Homoya also ran the offense this afternoon. Kresl tallied six assists and two digs while Homoya chipped in two assists and one ace.
- The Herons combined for 34 digs as a team and were led by sophomore libero Lily Wittgraefe with 16. Fulton and first-year Addison Werner chipped in four digs, while Newsome added three. Junior Kali Vanderhoof and Kresl recorded two digs each in the win.
- William Smith served up 11 aces as a team and was led by Williams with four. Newsome and Fulton chipped in two each, while Vanderhoof, Homoya and Wittgraefe added one ace each in the sweep.
- The Green and White combined for seven blocks in the win and were led by Dorny with four. Newsome chipped in three, while Fulton, Delainy Williams and Taylor Williams added two blocks each.
COACHES CORNER:
"Today was a great response match for our team!" said Head Coach Derryk Williams. "Everyone had opportunities to contribute for us, and it was really fun to see their success. Much needed break and then locking in for our last three conference matches!"
UP NEXT:
William Smith will be back in action Friday, Oct. 23, when it travels to Saratoga Springs, New York, for a crucial Liberty League matchup with Skidmore. First serve between the Herons and the Thoroughbreds is set for 6 p.m.
