The William Smith College volleyball team fell twice this afternoon at the Salisbury Tri-Match. The Herons suffered 3-1 losses to both Salisbury University and Gettysburg College and fall to 6-3 on the season. The Sea Gulls move to 7-1, while the Bullets move to 7-2.
Junior setter Elaina Wamhoff recorded 73 assists, 17 digs, seven kills, six service aces and one block this afternoon. With her ninth assist in today’s first match against Salisbury, Wamhoff surpassed the 1,000-career assist mark for William Smith. She is the first Heron in program history to do so.
Sophomore Malya Sayre led the Herons through two games, recording 37 kills, 15 digs, four service aces, two blocks and two assists. Fellow sophomore Jaylynn McCarthy chipped in 22 kills, 19 digs, four assists, one service ace and one block through the two matches.
MATCH MOMENTS:
Match 1 (Salisbury):
- William Smith and Salisbury both came out firing in set one, with both teams hitting over .200 as a team. The Herons put down 15 kills compared to the Sea Gulls seven, but ultimately fell in set one, 25-23.
- The battle continued in set two, with both teams running affective offenses while also playing scrappy defense. William Smith opened set two on a 4-0 run with two kills from Sayre and one from first-year Lindsay Umlauf but would fall down the stretch as Salisbury would go on several runs. The Sea Gulls took set two, 25-17.
- The Herons bounced back in a must win set three, hitting .318 as a team and keeping Salisbury to a .000 hitting percentage. Sayre and McCarthy eached chipped in three kills and one service ace while Wamhoff added three service aces to lead William Smith to a dominating 25-15 win in set three.
- The errors plagued the Herons in set four as the game continued to be scrappy with several long rallies. Salisbury hit .103 as a team but kept William Smith to a negative hitting percentage as the Sea Gulls took set four, 25-20, to clinch the match.
Match stats:
- McCarthy led the Herons with 17 kills (.429), while Sayre chipped in 14 (.075). Sophomore Marin Montagne added eight kills (.000) in the four-set match.
- Wamhoff recorded 35 assists, 13 digs, four service aces and two kills (.143) for the Herons.
- First-year Maysie Malinaric posted a team-leading 23 digs, while Wamhoff chipped in 13 and Montagne added eight.
- Umlauf, Sayre and first-year Maren Hunt led the Herons with two blocks a piece.
Match 2 (Gettysburg):
- The energy and competitiveness continued in the second match of the day as the Herons took on the Bullets. William Smith outhit Gettysburg .167 to .14 in the first set as the Herons put down 15 kills compared to the Bullets 11. Gettysburg went on two late runs to grab the late momentum and the opening set, 26-24.
- Gettysburg continued the momentum into the second set, hitting an impressive .258 as a team with only one error. The Herons recorded three more kills than the Bullets in the set but added six more errors that led to Gettysburg to take a 2-0 lead after winning the second set, 25-21.
- William Smith found themselves in a must win set for the second time of the afternoon. The Herons executed exactly how they needed to, putting down 14 kills, hitting .229 as a team. Sayre led William Smith with six kills as the Herons took the set, 25-21.
- The Bullets responded with another clean set, hitting .207 as a team with only two errors, while the Herons hit .000 after putting down 12 kills with 12 errors. Gettysburg’s clean play led the Bullets to a 25-20 win in set four to claim a 3-1 victory over William Smith.
Match stats:
- Sayre led the Herons with 23 kills (.193), tying her season high. Montagne chipped in 10 kills (.143), while Umlauf added six (.111).
- Wamhoff recorded 38 assists, five kills (.136), four digs, two aces and one block in the four-set match.
- Montagne posted a team-leading 18 digs, recording her first double-double of the season (10k, 18d). Malinaric chipped in 17 digs, while McCarthy added 16.
COACHES CORNER:
“Today was a really good experience for us,” Head Coach Derryk Williams said. “We battled with two of the grittiest defensive teams we’ve seen this far. There’s still a lot of room to improve, but I was really happy with the fact that we fought back each set and each match. We have a big week ahead of us and we’re excited about the challenge!”
UP NEXT:
William Smith will be back in action Friday, Sept. 22, when it welcomes SUNY Cortland to Bristol Gymnasium for the 2023 Heron Invitational. First serve between the Herons and the Red Dragons is set for 6:30 p.m.
Kyle leads sports coverage and hosts the Concrete Jungle podcast. Have a lead or question? Send it to [email protected].