William Smith volleyball suffered a three-set loss to ninth-ranked Ithaca on Wednesday evening at Bristol Gymnasium, dropping the Herons to 12-4 overall and 3-1 in Liberty League play.
ORANGE GAME WEEK: Syracuse football returns home to host Louisville Saturday night (preview) Despite matching Ithaca with 38 kills, William Smith could not overcome the Bombers’ efficiency at the net and from the service line. Ithaca finished with a .290 hitting percentage, eight blocks and 10 service aces, compared with the Herons’ .157 hitting percentage, four blocks and three aces.
Junior Emily Fulton paced William Smith with 10 kills and six digs. First-year Cassidy Breuer and junior Arielle Newsome each recorded nine kills, while Breuer added nine digs and Newsome contributed three blocks. First-year Senya Dorny chipped in six kills, and junior libero Kali Vanderhoof led the defensive effort with 14 digs.
The Herons opened the match competitively before Ithaca pulled away late in the first set, 25-20. William Smith responded with its strongest offensive set of the evening, recording 18 kills in the second, but the Bombers used a late 13-6 run to secure a 28-26 victory.
Ithaca controlled the third set behind five service aces, closing out the match with a 25-12 win.
Junior setter Delainy Williams finished with a match-high 31 assists, along with six digs and two aces. Ithaca improved to 16-3 overall and remained unbeaten in conference play at 5-0.
William Smith head coach Derryk Williams said the matchup provided a valuable learning opportunity and expressed confidence that his team would use the experience to improve before facing Ithaca again next month.
The Herons return to action Saturday, October 17, hosting Bard in a Liberty League matchup at 2 p.m. at Bristol Gymnasium.
Kyle leads sports coverage and hosts the Concrete Jungle podcast. Have a lead or question? Send it to kyle@fingerlakes1.com.
