William Smith will face Vassar in the Liberty League volleyball semifinals at 6:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 13, at Ben Light Gymnasium in Ithaca, with a place in Saturday’s championship match at stake.
The second-seeded Herons enter the weekend 18-6 overall and 7-1 in conference play. Third-seeded Vassar, 14-12 overall and 6-2 in the league, advanced by beating sixth-seeded Skidmore in four sets Tuesday, according to HWS Athletics’ tournament preview.
Championship match is set for Saturday
The winner will face either top-seeded Ithaca or fourth-seeded Union for the championship at 2 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 14, in Ithaca. Live statistics and video will be available through Ithaca Athletics for fans following remotely.
William Smith, which is receiving votes in the American Volleyball Coaches Association national poll, swept Vassar 3-0 in Geneva on Sept. 26. Maren Hunt and Cassidy Breuer each had 10 kills in that match, with Hunt hitting .667 and Breuer .207.
Breuer and Vanderhoof lead key conference categories
First-year Breuer leads William Smith with 285 kills and a Liberty League-best 3.56 kills per set. She also leads the conference with 4.09 points per set. Junior Emily Fulton has 222 kills, averaging 2.78 per set.
Junior setter Delainy Williams has 601 assists and ranks fifth in the conference at 7.91 assists per set. First-year Jayden Hanson contributes 5.79 assists per set.
Junior Kali Vanderhoof leads the league with 4.66 digs per set. Fulton adds 2.75 and Breuer 2.64 per set.
Junior Arielle Newsome has a team-leading 78 blocks, averaging 0.98 per set. She ranks second in the conference in hitting percentage at .342 and fourth in blocks. Senior Hunt ranks fourth in hitting percentage at .321.
Vassar brings a balanced challenge
Holland Kaplan leads the Brewers with 287 kills and averages 3.22 per set, fourth in the Liberty League. Francesca Medrano has 726 assists, averaging 8.25 per set.
Riley Huang leads Vassar with 3.57 digs per set. The Brewers rank third in the conference in blocking at 1.94 per set, with Gina O’Connell contributing 0.82 per set.
Ithaca and Union meet in the other semifinal
Host Ithaca enters 25-3 and ranked No. 3 nationally. Naomi Clauhs leads the Bombers with 307 kills, averaging 3.27 per set, while Gabriela Gonzalez-Abreu averages 2.46.
Wesley Slavin directs Ithaca’s offense with 731 assists and 7.86 per set. Jamie Low averages 3.00 digs per set, and Addison Leadbetter leads the conference with 1.23 blocks per set.
Ithaca swept William Smith 3-0 in Geneva on Oct. 14. Fulton led the Herons that day with 10 kills, a .250 hitting percentage and six digs.
Union, 19-12 overall, reached the semifinals by sweeping fifth-seeded Clarkson on Tuesday. Kayla Martinez Cartagena averages 2.97 kills per set and Georgia Pinciaro 2.14. Allie Kronenberg averages 8.16 assists per set, and Maddie McCarron has 89 blocks.
William Smith beat Union 3-0 in Geneva on Sept. 25. Breuer finished with 11 kills, a .241 hitting percentage, 11 digs and three service aces.
File photo: Cassidy Breuer attacks against RIT. Zack Koons/HWS Athletics.
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