CU Volleyball Preview - at St. Lawrence/vs. William Smith (10/2-3)

Alyssia Bleau

Women's Volleyball | 10/1/2026 8:00:00 AM

Beginning the conference schedule on a victorious note this past weekend, the Clarkson University Volleyball team looks to continue its winning ways when it takes on two Liberty League foes this weekend, traveling to take on St. Lawrence University Friday evening and then hosting William Smith College on Saturday afternoon.

Live Stats at SLU
Live Video at SLU
Live Stats vs. William Smith
Live Video vs. William Smith

The Series: The Knights' overall mark against St. Lawrence is close to .500 at 73-62, but the last two decades or more have told a different story. Clarkson is 50-7 against the Saints since 2002 and have won 22 straight matches since 2011. William Smith and Clarkson do not have that kind of history, as the teams have met only nine times. Clarkson won the first match in 2022 when the Herons entered the Liberty League, but William Smith has won six straight from 2023-2025, including three consecutive playoff meetings.

Key Stats for Clarkson (11-2, 1-0 Liberty League): The Knights need one more ace from Emma Cortez to have five players with at least 20 aces in 2026, where she would join Olivia Baxter (23), Izzie Piano (21), Cecilia Velardi (21), and Chase Chudoba (21). Clarkson has posted twice as many aces (124) as its opponents (62) and also has 16 fewer service aces, providing the Green and Gold with a swing of 78 points from the service line.

Key Stats for St. Lawrence (6-6, 0-0 Liberty League): The Saints have the top two servers in the Liberty League in terms of aces as Cassady Smith (0.74 aps) and Bridget Gammons (0.67 aps) currently top the conference leaderboard. Araiza Acum-Santos (3.37 kills per set) and Gammons (2.79 kps) are the top two offensive targets for the Saints, taking a good portion of the team's attacks. Outside of those two, the remainder of the team is hitting just .079 (189-129-796).

Key Stats for William Smith (10-2, 2-0 Liberty League): First-year collegian Cassidy Breuer got off to a strong start, winning the first two Liberty League Rookie of the Week honors, and she leads the Liberty League with 3.81 kills per set while also adding in 2.50 digs per set. Emily Fulton chips in 2.88 kills per set as well as 3.10 digs per set, while Maren Hunt and Arielle Newsome average just two kills per set each, but with impressive hitting percentages, as Hunt is clipping along at .309 and Newsome hits .270.

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Players Mentioned

#13 Olivia Baxter: DS; 5' 6"; Junior

#3 Emma Cortez: DS/L; 5' 3"; Senior

#1 Izzie Piano: DS/L; 5' 2"; Sophomore

#2 Cecilia Velardi: DS/L; 5' 4"; Senior

#18 Chase Chudoba: MH; 5' 10"; Freshman

Players Mentioned

#13 Olivia Baxter
: 5' 6"; Junior
: DS

#3 Emma Cortez
: 5' 3"; Senior
: DS/L

#1 Izzie Piano
: 5' 2"; Sophomore
: DS/L

#2 Cecilia Velardi
: 5' 4"; Senior
: DS/L

#18 Chase Chudoba
: 5' 10"; Freshman
: MH