NORTHAMPTON, Mass.--The Smith College volleyball team will take a break from NEWMAC play to participate in the MIT Invitational on September 23-24. Pool play gets underway on Friday, September 23, and Smith has been grouped with Tufts University and Endicott College.
Last Meeting (Tufts): September 24, 2010 - in this same tournament, the Jumbos swept a three set match from Smith (25-20, 25-15, 25-11).
Last Smith Win (Tufts): October 24, 2003 - the second of two meetings this season, Smith earned a 3-1 (30-27, 30-24, 25-30, 30-24) over Tufts at the Hall of Fame Invitational.
Last Meeting (Endicott): September 25, 2009 - After winning the first set, Smith dropped the next three to the Gulls (25-19, 22-25, 20-25, 23-25) in the MIT Invitational.
Last Smith Win (Endicott): September 21, 2007 - The Pioneers took a three match set from Endicott, winning 30-24, 30-24, 31-29.
Note: The tournament begins with pool play on Friday, and the medal rounds on Saturday. The first place, second place, and third place teams from each group will be grouped into the Gold, Silver and Bronze Brackets. Please visit the tournament website for more information and schedule.
| Pool A |
Pool B |
Pool C |
Pool D |
| Colby |
Regis |
Conn. College |
Endicott |
| MIT |
Springfield |
Frostburg State |
Smith |
| Newbury |
Williams |
Wellesley |
Tufts |
Smith Overview: In their last game, Smith earned their first NEWMC win of the season with a 3-2 (22-25, 25-18, 26-24, 22-25, 15-9) win over Wheaton.
Rosa Drummond (Rye, N.H./Portsmouth) set a career high with 26 kills, and served up five aces and had 19 digs.
Hayley Bezubka (N. Kingstown, R.I./N. Kingstown) had 31 assists, which was a career high for her.
Tufts Overview: The Jumbos have made an undefeated start to the 2011 season, the most recent of which was a 3-0 win over Brandeis on September 20. Tufts also defeated Emmanuel, Rhode Island College, and Haverford at the Brandeis Invitational, and have also won both their NESCAC games, over Hamilton and Williams.
Endicott Overview: The Gulls snapped a five game losing set with a 3-0 win over the University of New England in the opener of Commonwealth Coast Conference play on September 20. Previous to that, Endicott played three of the nation's top 15 teams at the Colorado College Invitational, including No. 2 Washington (Mo.), No. 12 Colorado College, and No. 15 Concordia-Moorhead.
Smith Player to Watch: Kristi Hammond (Yona, Guam/St. Johns School). Hammond is the only first year on the team, and playing in every match, has 47 digs - third highest on the team.
Tufts Player to Watch: Kelly Brennan is the star performer for the Jumbos, piling up 73 kills in the six matches so far this season.
Endicott Player to Watch: The Gulls are led by the tandem of Elyse Barbour and Callie Dolan, who have combined for 155 kills in 11 matches so far this season.
Did you know? Even though this is the MIT Invitational, Smith's pool play on Friday will take place on Tufts' campus.
Click here for directions.
