William Smith volleyball swept Vassar on Friday to earn its fourth consecutive trip to the Liberty League championship match, winning 25-16, 25-11, 25-15 at Ben Light Gymnasium in Ithaca.
The second-seeded Herons improved to 19-6 and will face top-seeded, nationally third-ranked Ithaca at 2 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 14, in the same gym, according to HWS Athletics. Emily Fulton led William Smith with 12 kills as the Herons held third-seeded Vassar to 16 kills for the match.
Hanson serves five straight aces to finish opening set
William Smith recorded 13 kills and six service aces in the first set. Jayden Hanson delivered five consecutive aces to end it, giving the Herons a 25-16 victory and an early advantage.
The Herons hit .478 in the second set, their best mark of the match, with 14 kills. Vassar managed four kills and committed seven attack errors as William Smith took the set 25-11.
William Smith finished with 13 kills and a .333 hitting percentage in the third. Vassar produced seven kills, its highest total of the evening, but Senya Dorny supplied the final two kills to complete the sweep.
Fulton leads offense, Vanderhoof anchors defense
Fulton hit .250 and added eight digs and an assist. Maren Hunt contributed nine kills on .333 hitting, three blocks and two digs.
Cassidy Breuer and Dorny each finished with seven kills. Breuer hit .278 and added four aces, three digs and a block, while Dorny hit .455 with three blocks and two digs. Arielle Newsome contributed three kills on .333 hitting, and Sage Duerr had two kills and hit .250.
Hanson paired 21 assists with 11 digs and five aces. Delainy Williams supplied 12 assists and three digs, while libero Kali Vanderhoof collected a match-high 17 digs.
The Herons finished with 40 kills and a .295 hitting percentage, compared with Vassar’s minus-.011. William Smith also led in assists, 39-14; digs, 49-37; blocks, 8-5; and aces, 13-1. Newsome and Duerr each recorded four blocks, and Vanderhoof and Newsome served two aces apiece.
Holland Kaplan led Vassar with six kills, four digs and its lone ace. Maura McAusland added four kills and six digs. Francesca Medrano finished with 13 assists, five digs, two blocks and a kill.
Head coach Derryk Williams praised the Herons’ passion, discipline and execution in the school’s recap. He said he was proud of the team’s performance and looking forward to Saturday’s championship opportunity.
File photo: Cassidy Breuer attacks against RIT. Zack Koons/HWS Athletics.
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