BABSON PARK, Mass.—The William Smith volleyball team split action on Day 2 of the New England Classic, sweeping Smith before falling to No. 22 Babson in three sets. With the results, the Herons improve to 7-2 on the season.
William Smith put on two impressive performances to close out the New England Classic. First-year Cassidy Breuer led the Herons with 16 kills, 21 digs, two blocks and one assist. Junior Emily Fulton added 12 kills, 21 digs and two aces.
First-year Jayden Hanson and junior Delainy Williams led William Smith from the setter position in both matches. Hanson tallied 30 assists, nine digs, six blocks, four service aces and four kills, while Williams added 19 assists, 10 digs, two kills and two service aces this afternoon.
MATCH MOMENTS:
Match 1 (Smith):
- The Herons came out hot in the opening set, putting down a match-high 17 kills (.297) while holding the Bears to a match-low eight (.034). William Smith forced Smith into seven hitting errors and closed out the set with a 25-18 win thanks to a kill from Hanson.
- William Smith combined for 10 kills (.065) in the second set compared to Smith's match-high 11 (.029). Once again, errors plagued the Bears who racked up 10 hitting errors in the second set. A hitting error by Mia Etheridge would hand William Smith a 25-20 win in set two.
- The Herons closed out the sweep with a 12-kill (.222) performance in the third, while the Bears tallied 10 (.086). Newsome closed out the win with a big kill to take a dominant 25-17 win in set three.
MATCH STATS:
- Breuer led the Herons with 11 kills (.079) in the win. First-year Senya Dorny chipped in seven kills (.545), while junior Arielle Newsome added six (.267) in the sweep. Senior Maren Hunt added six kills (.714) for William Smith, while Fulton chipped in five kills (.118).
- Hanson and Williams led the Herons from the setter position, tallying 20 and 12 assists each, respectively. Hanson added five blocks, four digs, four service aces and two kills (.000), while Williams chipped in four digs, two service aces and two kills (.333).
- William Smith combined for 38 digs in the win and were led by junior libero Kali Vanderhoof with 12. Fulton chipped in nine digs, while Breuer added six. Hanson and Williams recorded four digs each in the sweep.
- The Herons served up nine aces against the Bears and were led by Hanson with four. Williams served up two aces, while Vanderhoof, Fulton and Newsome added one each.
- The Green and White tallied eight total blocks as a team and were led by Newsome and Hanson with five each. Breuer and Hunt chipped in two blocks each for William Smith.
MATCH 2 (Babson):
MATCH MOMENTS:
- William Smith struggled offensively in the opening set, tallying six kills while also adding six hitting errors. Babson combined for 11 kills (.088) and closed out the opening set on top 25-19.
- The Herons fought back in set two, combining for eight kills (.025) but were matched by an efficient Beaver side that put down 12 kills (.163). Despite a late comeback from William Smith, Babson closed out set two on top, 25-20.
- Babson closed out the sweep with a 12-kill (.257) performance as William Smith tallied nine kills. The Herons racked up 10 hitting errors in the final set, handing the Beavers a 25-18 win in set three.
MATCH STATS:
- Fulton led William Smith with seven kills (.097), while Breuer chipped in five in the loss. Dorny added four kills (.143) on the right side, while Newsome put down three kills out of the middle.
- Hanson tallied a team-high 10 assist, while Williams added seven. Hanson added five digs, two kills and one block, while Williams chipped in six digs and one service ace.
- William Smith combined for 50 digs in the loss and were led by Breuer with 15. Fulton chipped in 12, while Vanderhoof added 11 digs. Williams recorded six digs in the loss, while Hanson added five.
- The Herons served up three aces against the Beavers and were led by Fulton, Vanderhoof and Williams with one ace each.
COACHES CORNER:
"This was a really strong weekend for us," said Head Coach Derryk Williams. "We played excellent against Smith and learned a ton from our match with a really strong Babson program. Every chance we get to compete against the best is preparing us for the end of the season and I know we're only going to continue to improve!"
UP NEXT:
William Smith will be back in action next weekend as it returns home to open conference play. The Herons will take on Union on Friday, Sept. 25 at 7 p.m. in Bristol Gym and will close out the weekend's action with a matchup against Vassar on Saturday at 2 p.m.
