NORTHAMPTON, Mass.--The Smith College volleyball team (7-11) takes on a pair of opponents from the Little East Conference when they host the Little East/NEWMAC Challenge with Keene State College (10-10), Plymouth State University (15-8), and Mount Holyoke College (7-10).

Scott Gym	Ainsworth Gym
Mount Holyoke vs. Keene State, 12 p.m.	Smith vs. Plymouth State, 12 p.m.
Plymouth State vs. Mount Holyoke, 2 p.m.	Smith vs. Keene State, 2 p.m.

Last Meeting (Keene State): Smith fell in a 3-1 decision, (10-25, 27-25, 14-25, 7-25), at this competition on October 16, 2010.

Last Smith Win (Keene State): Smith edged out the Owls in a close four set match, winning 3-1 (30-13, 33-31, 23-30, 30-22) on October 12, 2007.

Last Meeting (Plymouth State): The second of two meetings between the Panthers and Pioneers, Plymouth swept Smith 3-0 (17-25, 18-25, 20-25) on October 16, 2010.

Last Smith Win (Plymouth State): Smith staved off the Panthers' comeback attempt to win 3-2 (25-21, 26-24, 23-25, 19-25, 15-12) on October 17, 2009.

Smith Overview: The Pioneers will try to snap a four game losing skid in today's matches.  In their most recent outing, Smith hung with MIT before falling in a 3-0 match (20-25, 20-25, 21-25) on Tuesday night.  In each of the sets, Smith was either tied or within four points of the lead before MIT pulled away.

Keene State Overview: The defending ECAC New England Champions, Keene State is coming off a 3-2 loss to Babson College that was their third loss in four matches.  After opening the year with wins in three of five and eight of 12, the Owls have won once in their last six.

Plymouth State Overview: The Panthers bring a three game winning streak into today's contest, and have won 11 of their last 14 matches.  Included in that winning streak are wins over Westfield State, Southern Maine, and Division II St. Michael's College. 

Smith Player to Watch: Over the last six games, Bethany Ashworth (North Falmouth, Mass./Bourne) is averaging nearly six digs per set in 19 sets, for a total of 106.

Keene State Player to Watch: Senior Bridget O'Bryant is hitting .230 for the season and averaging 3.13 kills per set.

Plymouth State Player to Watch: Danielle Stoodley, a senior, has piled up 345 digs this year, averaging 4.48 per game.

Did you know? The top volleyball team in the Little East is neither Keene State nor Plymouth State, but UMass-Boston.  The Beacons advanced to the Elite 8 of the NCAA tournament a year ago, and currently boast an 18-2 record and a national ranking of 17.