The William Smith College volleyball team split action this afternoon at Vassar College. The Herons dropped their conference opener to host Vassar, 3-1, and then bounced back with a 3-0 nonconference sweep of the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy.
William Smith now sits at 7-7 on the season and 0-1 in conference play, while the Brewers move to 7-6 overall and 2-1 in the Liberty League. The Mariners fall to 4-6 on the season and play Vassar this afternoon.
Sophomore Malya Sayre led the Herons through two matches, recording 32 kills, 15 digs, five service aces, two assists and one block. She averaged 4.57 kills per set and 5.36 points per set on the afternoon.
Junior setter Elaina Wamhoff compiled 67 assists, 11 digs, eight kills (.353), three blocks and one service ace through two matches. Wamhoff averaged an impressive 9.57 assists per set, as well as 1.50 points per set.
MATCH MOMENTS:
Match 1 (Vassar):
- William Smith opened its first match of the day on fire, hitting a combined .583 as a team. The Herons put down 15 kills with only one error compared to the Brewers six. William Smith would cruise to a 25-14 win in set one.
- Vassar responded well in set two, hitting .364 compared to the Herons’ .250. Sayre led William Smith with seven kills in set two, hitting .571 through the first two sets. The Brewers maintained the momentum through most of the second set and tied the game up with a 25-19 win in set two.
- William Smith opened set three strong and grabbed an early lead. The Brewers responded with a 12-2 run, to put Vassar on top, 21-13. The Herons would chip away at the Brewers lead, but the comeback fell just short as Vassar took set three, 25-20.
- The Brewers grabbed a 10-3 lead to open the crucial fourth set, but the Herons fought back to bring the score to 11-8 after a strong service run from sophomore Kenyce Johnson and great blocking from first-year Maren Hunt. Despite recording 10 kills compared to Vassar’s nine, the Brewers would take the final set, 25-20, to grab a 3-1 win over William Smith.
Match stats:
- Sayre led the Herons with 22 kills (.333) for her fifth match of the season with 20+ kills. Sophomore Jaylynn McCarthy added 10 (.208), while sophomore Marin Montagne chipped in nine (.095).
- Wamhoff recorded 35 assists, four kills (.333), three digs, two blocks and one service ace in the loss.
- McCarthy recorded a team-leading 10 digs for her first double-double (10K, 10D) of the season. Sayre followed with six digs, while Montagne chipped in five.
- Hunt led the Herons with three blocks on the afternoon, while Wamhoff added two.
- Sayre continued to dominate from the service line, recording three service aces. Johnson added two aces for the Herons.
Match 2 (USMMA):
- William Smith bounced back in the second match of the day, putting down 11 kills (.105) in the opening set compared to the Mariners’ nine (.086). Montagne led the Herons with six kills (.455) to help William Smith to a 25-22 win in set one.
- The Herons came out firing in set two, hitting an impressive .303 with 15 kills compared to Merchant Marine’s .036 and seven kills. Midway through the set, William Smith grabbed the momentum and refused to let up, finishing on top 25-18 to extend its lead to 2-0.
- William Smith continued its momentum into the third set, while adding a clean defensive effort to the mix. The Herons kept the Mariners to just five kills (.069) while putting down 14 (.114) of their own. McCarthy recorded five kills as William Smith took set three 25-20 and closed out its second match of the day on top, 3-0.
Match stats:
- Montagne led the Herons in match two with a season-high 13 kills (.296). Sayre chipped in 10 (.059) while McCarthy added nine (.147).
- Wamhoff recorded 32 assists, eight digs, four kills (.375), and one block in the three-set match.
- First-year Maysie Malinaric led the Herons with 14 digs. Montagne posted her second double-double of the season (13K, 10D), while Sayre chipped in nine.
- William Smith continued to serve strong, posting eight service aces. Johnson, Sayre, and junior Ariana Angus contributed two each.
UP NEXT:
William Smith will be back in action Friday, Oct. 6, when it welcomes Skidmore College to Bristol Gymnasium for a conference matchup. First serve between the Herons and the Thoroughbreds is set for 7 p.m.
Kyle leads sports coverage and hosts the Concrete Jungle podcast. Have a lead or question? Send it to [email protected].