Smith Athletics Hall of Fame
The 1988 volleyball team set a record for wins that may never be touched. The Pioneers went 41-4, advancing to the NCAA tournament. A smaller roster saw seven players take part in 90% of the 45 matches. On offense, Nancy Satchwill ‘89 and Kelly Bates ‘90 were particularly prolific, with the former averaging 6.1 kills per game, and the latter registering 4.0. A defensive wunderkind, the Pioneers averaged 38.2 digs as a team, and Reggie Ossolinski ‘89 topped the stat sheet with 8.1 digs per game, while Satchwill added 6.9 and Bates at 6.5. Smith often employed a 6-2 setup, with two setters allowing the Pioneers to control long rallies.
Smith’s only losses were to eventual national third place team Juniata (twice), Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Williams College. Smith also beat Williams and MIT that season, stringing together 21 straight wins from September 17 to October 14. Smith also won 15 straight matches from October 15-29. The Pioneers’ win over MIT on November 5 sealed the programs’ first NEW 8 Championship, and Smith also captured their own Smith Invitational, the Eastern Connecticut State University Invitational, and the Seven Sisters Championship.
Head coach Bonnie May was named the NEW8 Coach of the Year and the New England Women’s Volleyball (NEWVA) Division III Coach of the Year. Katie Henderson was a NEWVA All-New England Honorable Mention, while Bates and Satchwill were both named to the NEW 8 All-Conference Team and the NEWVA All-New England First Team. Satchwill was also named NEW 8 Player of the Year for the team, which finished ranked first in New England and third in the Eastern Region. Bates received GTE District I Division III College Academic All American Honors, and was named to the CoSIDA Academic All American 2nd team.
