William Smith Earns Back-to-Back 5 Set Wins at Heron Tri-Match

The William Smith volleyball team grinded out two five-set victories this afternoon in the Heron Tri-Match in Bristol Gymnasium. The Herons defeated Gettysburg, who is receiving votes in this week’s AVCA national poll, and St. John Fisher to move to 6-2 on the season. The Bullets suffer their first loss of the season and fall to 8-1 overall, while the Cardinals fall to 4-6 on the season.

Junior Malya Sayre led William Smith through two games, tallying 36 kills (.130) and 39 digs on back-to-back double-doubles. She added five service aces and two blocks in the wins. Classmate Hope Von Dohlen chipped in 31 kills through 10 sets, hitting an impressive .282 clip. She added six digs and five blocks for William Smith.

First-year Emily Fulton brought a spark off the bench, combining for 26 kills (.247) and 23 digs. Her career-high 17-kill (.232) performance against the Cardinals led the Herons to its third straight win in five-set fashion.

First-year setter Delainy Williams tallied 102 assists through 10 sets, averaging an impressive 10.20 assists per set. She added 18 digs, five service aces, three kills and two blocks in the wins. Classmate Kali Vanderhoof led a scrappy Heron defense with 47 digs on the day, averaging 4.70 digs per set. She added 10 assists and three service aces for William Smith.

• The Herons came out firing in the opening set, putting down 16 kills (.231) as a team but were matched by an efficient Bullet side that put down 14 (.189). The back-and-forth set saw 11 tie scores and two lead changes but a service ace by junior Cydney Fernandez gave William Smith a 27-25 win in set one.
• Errors plagued the Herons in the second set as they racked up 12 errors on 10 kills against the Bullets. Gettysburg put down a match-low nine kills but snuck out a 25-19 win to even the score at 1-1.
• The battle continued in the third as there were five tie scores between William Smith and Gettysburg. Von Dohlen led the Herons with six kills on ten swings but was matched by a Bullet side that combined for 12 kills as a team. Gettysburg used a late push to grab a 27-25 win in set three.
• William Smith stormed back in the must-win set, putting down a match-high 16 kills (.300) as a team. The Herons used a balanced attack and found at least three kills from four players including a five-kill showing from Fulton to force a fifth set.
• The two sides traded the points early in the fifth as there were four tie scores before the Herons jumped out to a five-point lead. William Smith put down nine kills (.129) in the final set and were led by Sayre who finished off the match with a big kill from the pin. The Herons finished on top 15-12 for its second straight five set win.

• Von Dohlen led the Herons with a season-high 20 kills (.267). Sayre chipped in 16 (.102), while junior Marin Montagne added 10 (.111). Fulton was a spark off the bench for William Smith and tallied nine kills (.276) to propel the Herons to victory.
• Williams recorded a match-high 49 assists and 12 digs for her fourth double-double of the season. She added three kills (.100), two service aces and two blocks in the win.
• The Herons put on an impressive performance defensively, tallying 90 digs as a team to the Bullets’ 74. Five Herons recorded double digit digs and were led by Vanderhoof with a career-high 24. Sayre chipped in 17, while Fulton added 14. Williams recorded 12 digs in the win, while Montagne tallied 10.
• William Smith combined for six blocks as a team and were led by junior Jaylynn McCarthy and first-year Arielle Newsome with three each. Von Dohlen chipped in two in the win.

• The first set saw both sides trading points as the Herons put down 13 kills (.237) compared to St. John Fisher’s 15 (.333). The back-and-forth battle saw six tie scores and two lead changes as the Cardinals slipped away with a 25-23 win to open the match.
• William Smith bounced back in the second, putting down 14 kills (.222) as a team and keeping Fisher to 11 (.147). Fulton went off for five kills on 10 swings to lead the Herons to a 25-22 win in set two.
• The Herons and the Cardinals continued to battle in the third set that saw 10 tie scores and four lead changes. St. John Fisher’s Lydia Fraser closed out the third set with back-to-back aces to regain the lead.
• In the must-win set, William Smith fought back with 11 kills as a team but were matched by an even Fisher side that also put down 11 kills as a team. Sayre tallied six of those 11 kills to lead the Herons to a 25-21 win in set four, forcing a decisive fifth set.
• William Smith jumped out to an early 6-2 lead in the fifth set after back-to-back hitting errors by the Cardinals. The Herons early lead proved to be too much for St. John Fisher to come back from as William Smith closed out the fifth set with a 15-12 win.

• Sayre led the Herons in the second match of the day with 20 kills (.161) through five sets. Fulton continued to impress for William Smith, tallying a career-high 17 kills (.232). Von Dohlen chipped in 11 kills (.308), while McCarthy added a season-high 10 (.154).
• Williams recorded 53 assists in the five-set win for the Herons, just one shy of her career-high. She added six digs and three service aces for William Smith.
• Vanderhoof led the Heron defense again with 23 digs, while Sayre chipped in a career-high 22. Fernandez tallied 15 digs in the win for William Smith.
• The Herons combined for 12 service aces against the Cardinals. McCarthy, Sayre and Williams led the team with three each.

COACHES CORNER:

“I am really happy with the way our team battled today!” said Head Coach Derryk Williams. “We had our back against the wall in both matches and found ways to fight and come out on top! It was truly a day of team wins. We had huge contributions from the entire roster. Delainy was unbelievable all day, putting her hitters in great spots and Emily stepped up big today for us and changed the narrative of our match vs Gettysburg, continuing her play into the second match. Overall, I couldn’t be happier with the tenacity and fight our team had today!”

UP NEXT:

William Smith will be back in action next weekend, Sept. 20-21, when it travels to Hoboken, N.J. to compete in the 2024 Stevens Institute Tournament. The Herons will open up action against Montclair State on Friday at 5 p.m. in Canavan Arena.

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