GENEVA, N.Y.—The William Smith volleyball team cruised to a 3-0 sweep of SUNY Geneseo this evening in its home opener in Bristol Gymnasium. With the win, the Herons improve to 1-0 on the season, while the Knights fall to 1-1 overall.
William Smith put on a dominant performance in its season opener, leading Geneseo in several statistical categories. The Herons put down 39 kills (.284) as a team, while the Knights combined for just 18 kills and a -.044 hitting percentage. William Smith held a 48-31 advantage in digs and a 35-17 edge in assists. The Herons combined for nine blocks compared to Geneseo's four and served up six aces compared to the Knight's four.
First-year Cassidy Breuer led William Smith in her collegiate debut, putting down a match-high 12 kills (.233). Breuer added seven digs and one block in the win. Junior Emily Fulton chipped in 10 kills (.318) in the sweep and added six digs, one block and one service ace. Classmate Arielle Newsome combined for six kills (.500) out of the middle and added a match-high seven blocks.
Kathryn Barba led the Knights with six kills (.040), five digs and two service aces in the loss. Molly McKinney tallied a team-leading nine assists in the loss.
MATCH MOMENTS:
- The Herons came out firing in the opening set, putting down a match-high 14 kills (.400) as a team compared to Geneseo's match-high eight (-0.034). Fulton led the way with five kills on six swings in the opening set, leading William Smith to a dominant 25-14 win in set one.
- William Smith continued on its momentum into the second set, firing off 12 kills (.233), while holding the Knights to just five kills (.000). Breuer led the Herons with five kills, while Vanderhoof dominated from the service line, tallying three aces to grab a 25-12 win in set two.
- The Herons closed out the sweep with a dominant performance in set three, recording 13 kills (.242) as a team, compared to Geneseo's five (-0.111). William Smith used strong serving to force the Knights out of system often. The Herons defeated Geneseo 25-16 in set three to secure the win.
MATCH STATS:
- Breuer led the Herons with 12 kills (.233), while Fulton chipped in 10 (.318) in the win. Newsome recorded six kills (.500) out of the middle, while first-year Senya Dorny added four kills (.222) in her collegiate debut. Senior Maren Hunt (.125) and first-year Jayden Hanson (.500) chipped in three kills each in the win.
- Hanson and junior Delainy Williams shared the setter position today, tallying 19 and 12 assists respectively. Hanson added 11 digs, recording her first double-double of the season, three kills, one block and one service ace, while Williams added six digs for William Smith.
- Defensively, the Herons combined for 48 digs and were led by Hanson and junior libero Kali Vanderhoof with 11 each. Breuer chipped in seven, while Williams and Fulton added six digs each in the sweep.
- William Smith served up six aces as a team and were led by Vanderhoof with three. Hanson, Fulton and sophomore Madilyn Kresl added one ace each.
- The Green and White combined for nine blocks in the win and were led by Newsome with seven. Dorny chipped in five blocks, while Hanson, Breuer, Fulton and Hunt added one block each.
COACHES CORNER:
"Tonight was an excellent way to kick off the season," said Head Coach Derryk Williams. "From top to bottom, I was really pleased with the way we played the game. A lot of the aspects of the game we've been working on in preseason carried over to the court at an elite level today. Our intensity was extremely high and I am excited for us to take on another challenge with Oswego tomorrow."
UP NEXT:
William Smith will be back in action tomorrow to compete on Day 2 of the Heron Invitational. The Herons will take on Oswego State at 1:30 p.m. in Bristol Gymnasium.
