SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y.—Three Herons recorded double-digit kills as the William Smith volleyball team rallied to defeat Skidmore 3-1 in a crucial conference matchup this evening. With the win, the Herons improved to 14-4 on the season and 5-1 in conference play, while the Thoroughbreds fell to 10-10 overall and 1-4 in the Liberty League.
William Smith put on an impressive performance in the conference win. The Herons combined for 48 kills (.190) as a team compared to Skidmore's 39 (.088). William Smith also held a 64-60 edge in digs as well as a 45-39 advantage in assists. The Herons tallied 12 service aces compared to the Thoroughbred's 11 and also held a 9-5 advantage in blocks in the crucial conference win.
First-year Cassidy Breuer led William Smith with 16 kills (.261), seven digs, two blocks and a service ace in the win. Junior Arielle Newsome added a season-high 12 kills (.500) out of the middle and added seven digs, four blocks, one service ace and one assist. Senior Maren Hunt chipped in 10 kills (.190) and five blocks, while junior Emily Fulton added seven kills (.097), 11 digs, two service aces and an assist in the win. Defensively, junior libero Kali Vanderhoof led the Herons with 19 digs in the win.
Chloe Heitman led Skidmore with 12 kills (.100), eight digs, two blocks and two service aces in the loss. Natalie Pedersen added 10 kills (.050), five service aces, two digs and a block for the Thoroughbreds. Catriona Hoelperl tallied a team-high 35 assists in the loss and added eight digs, one service ace, one block and one kill for Skidmore.
MATCH MOMENTS:
- The back-and-forth affair began in the opening set as the Herons combined for 11 kills (.077) compared to the Thoroughbred's 10 (.176). Skidmore went on a 5-0 scoring run midway through the set to grab the late momentum. Despite a late push from William Smith, the Thoroughbreds closed out set one on top 25-22 thanks to a kill from Katy O'Connell.
- William Smith bounced back in the second set with a match-high 16 kills (.306). Skidmore went for a match-high 13 kills (.200) but were matched by a powerful Heron side that jumped out to an early 9-1 lead and never looked back. Despite a late push from the Thoroughbreds, William Smith used a big kill from Newsome to take a 25-23 win in set two.
- The Herons continued on their momentum into the third set, firing off 10 kills (.241) compared to Skidmore's nine (.029). Errors plagued the Thoroughbreds in the third set as they racked up eight hitting errors. William Smith closed out set three on top, 25-20.
- William Smith closed out the conference win with a dominant performance in the fourth set, putting down 11 kills (.152) compared to Skidmore's seven (-0.103). The Heron block played a crucial role in the final set, forcing the Thoroughbreds into a match-high 10 hitting errors in set four. Kills from Breuer and Fulton would close out the conference battle with a 25-18 set four win for William Smith.
MATCH STATS:
- Breuer led the Herons with 16 kills (.261) in the win. Newsome added a season-high 12 kills (.500), while Hunt chipped in 10 kills (.190) out of the middle. Fulton recorded seven kills (.097) for the Herons, while first-year Senya Dorny added three kills in the win.
- Junior setter Delainy Williams tallied a match-high 41 assists for William Smith. Williams added 11 digs, three service aces and two blocks in the win. It was her seventh double-double of the season.
- The Herons combined for 64 digs as a team and were led by Vanderhoof with 19. Williams and Fulton chipped in 11 digs each, while Newsome and Breuer added seven each. Sophomore Lily Wittgraefe chipped in five digs for William Smith while classmate Madilyn Kresl added two in the win.
- William Smith served up 12 aces this evening and was led by Dorny with a season-high four. Williams added three, while Fulton chipped in two. Vanderhoof, Newsome and Breuer served up one ace each for the Herons.
- The Green and White combined for nine blocks in the win and were led by Hunt with five. Newsome and Dorny added four blocks each while Williams and Breuer chipped in two each to secure the win.
COACHES CORNER:
"I'm really proud of our response as a team today after the first set," said Head Coach Derryk Williams. "We found a way to win and battled the right way. Skidmore plays really hard so for us to maintain our plan and get the win was awesome! Really excited to see us back on the court tomorrow against St. Lawrence."
UP NEXT:
William Smith will be back in action tomorrow as it travels to the North Country for a Liberty League matchup with St. Lawrence. Action between the Herons and the Saints is set for 2 p.m.
