The William Smith College volleyball team defeated Skidmore College 3-0 this evening in Bristol Gymnasium to grab its first conference victory of the season. The Herons move to 8-7 overall and 1-1 in the Liberty League, while the Thoroughbreds fall to 7-10 overall with a 1-3 mark in conference play.
Leading the way for the Herons was sophomore Marin Montagne with a career-high 14 kills, hitting .290 with only five errors. William Smith hit .192 as a team through three sets compared to Skidmore’s .051. The Herons compiled 40 kills to the Thoroughbreds’ 19 in the conference matchup.
MATCH MOMENTS:
- William Smith came out strong in the opening set, putting down 10 kills compared to Skidmore’s six. The Herons kept the Thoroughbreds to a -.080 hitting percentage while hitting .222 as a team. Montagne recorded six kills in the opening set as William Smith took set one, 25-15.
- The Herons continued their momentum into set two, recording 15 kills as a team. Sophomore Kenyce Johnson went on a strong service run to get the Thoroughbreds out of system often and was matched with five big kills from sophomore Jaylynn McCarthy to extend William Smith’s lead. The Herons’ lead was too much for Skidmore to climb out of as set two resulted in a 25-19 win for William Smith.
- Montagne continued to shine in set three, recording six of the Herons’ 15 kills. William Smith hit .179 as a team in the final set as the Herons cruised to a 25-20 set three win to close out the sweep of the Thoroughbreds.
MATCH STATS:
- Montagne led the Herons with 14 kills (.290), followed by McCarthy with 11 (.529) and sophomore Malya Sayre with seven.
- Junior setter Elaina Wamhoff recorded 30 assists, seven digs, six service aces and six kills (.250) in the three set match.
- First-year Maysie Malinaric recorded a team-leading 13 digs in the sweep. Montagne added eight, while McCarthy and Wamhoff each chipped in seven.
- William Smith dominated from the service line, serving up 12 aces compared to Skidmore’s three. Wamhoff led the Herons with six aces, while Malinaric chipped in three.
- First-year Lindsay Umlauf and Montagne led the team with two blocks each in the win.
COACHES CORNER:
“Tonight was a full team performance,” said Head Coach Derryk Williams. “We took care of the ball at a really high level, and it showed in the result. We have a really tough test in Clarkson tomorrow and we’re excited for it!”
UP NEXT:
William Smith will be back in action tomorrow when it welcomes Clarkson University in a Liberty League showdown. First serve between the Herons and the Golden Knights is set for 2 p.m. in Bristol Gymnasium.
Kyle leads sports coverage and hosts the Concrete Jungle podcast. Have a lead or question? Send it to [email protected].