GENEVA, N.Y.—The William Smith volleyball team dropped a thrilling five-set match to No.15 Wesleyan this afternoon to close out the 2026 Heron Invitational. With the loss, the Herons fall to 2-1 on the season, while the Cardinals improve to 3-0 overall.
The non-conference matchup was a thrilling battle between William Smith and Wesleyan. The Herons put down 60 kills (.172) compared to the Cardinals' 54 (.252). William Smith held a 59-47 edge in assists and a 64-59 advantage in digs, while Wesleyan held a 12-4 edge in blocks. The Herons served up 10 aces compared to the Cardinals' six.
First-year outside Cassidy Breuer continued to shine for the Herons, putting down a match-high 19 kills (.192) in the five-set loss. Breuer added 11 digs, two service aces and one assist as well. Junior Emily Fulton added a season-high 14 kills (.167), 10 digs, four service aces, one block and one assist. First-year Senya Dorny chipped in eight kills (.143) on the right side and added two blocks and an assist in the loss.
Siena Steines led Wesleyan with 14 kills (.400) in the win. Mila Chan chipped in 13 kills (.265), 13 digs and one ace, while Carly Grumet added 12 (.229), 10 digs, three blocks and one ace. Alexa Schnell tallied 27 assists and four service aces in the win for the Cardinals.
MATCH MOMENTS:
- Wesleyan came out hot in the opening set, putting down 14 kills (.387) as a team compared to William Smith's 12 (.132). The Cardinals ran an efficient offense, producing a 58% side out efficiency resulting in a 25-16 win in set one.
- The Herons responded well in the second set, putting down 15 kills (.313), while holding the Cardinals to a match-low eight (.065). Breuer came alive in the second set, firing off eight kills to lead William Smith to a 25-16 win in set two.
- William Smith continued their momentum into the third set, putting down 14 kills (.162) compared to Wesleyan's 10 (.152). Despite a late comeback from the Cardinals, the Herons closed out the set on top 25-23 thanks to a big kill from Fulton.
- Wesleyan responded well in the must-win set, combining for 12 kills (.273) as a team. William Smith put down a match-high 16 kills (.175) but also recorded a match-high nine errors in the set. The Cardinals would close out set four on top, 25-20, forcing a decisive fifth set.
- The Cardinals came out hot in the fifth set, applying the pressure from the service line. The Herons found themselves out of system often but continued to put up a fight. Wesleyan combined for 10 kills (.533) in the final set and held the Herons to just three kills (.000) to close out the fifth on top, 15-7.
MATCH STATS:
- Breuer led the Herons with 19 kills (.192), while Fulton chipped in 14 (.167). Dorny chipped in eight kills (.143), while senior Maren Hunt added seven kills (.000) out of the middle. Junior Arielle Newsome (.118) and first-year Jayden Hanson (.462) chipped in six kills each for William Smith.
- Junior Delainy Williams and Hanson ran the Heron offense from the setter position, tallying 25 and 24 assists, respectively. Williams chipped in nine digs and one ace, while Hanson added 15 digs, six kills and one block.
- William Smith combined for 64 digs in the loss and were led by junior libero Kali Vanderhoof with 17. Hanson chipped in 15, while Breuer added 11 and Fulton tallied 10. Williams recording nine digs as well for the Herons.
- The Herons served up 10 aces against the Cardinals and were led by Fulton with four. Vanderhoof and Breuer chipped in two, while Williams and sophomore Madilyn Kresl each tallied one ace.
COACHES CORNER:
"I'm really proud of our group and the way they competed today," said Head Coach Derryk Williams. "Wesleyan is a great team with a ton of experience, so this was a good test for us. It showed our program that we are at a really high level, and I'm excited to get back in the gym and take the next steps!"
UP NEXT:
William Smith will be back in action Sept. 11-12 when it travels to Wayne, New Jersey for the William Paterson Tournament. The Herons will open tournament play with a battle against No. 19 Christopher Newport on Friday at 2 p.m.
