NORTHAMPTON - A balanced attached helped the Smith College volleyball team defeat Coast Guard, 3-1, in a NEWMAC battle Tuesday evening in Ainsworth Gymnasium. With the victory, the Pioneers improve to 10-2 on the year and begin conference with a 3-0 record. The Bears drop to 9-3, 0-2 in the NEWMAC. This was Smith's first win against Coast Guard in series history.
Highlights
- Tied at 11, a kill by Claudia Poehlmann (Chicago, IL/Lane Tech) kicked off a four-point burst.
- The Pioneers continued to pull away as another run late in the set helped Smith register a 25-21 win
- Trailing 13-11 in the second set, Smith scored seven of the next eight points for a 20-12 lead
- A four-point run by the Bears made it 22-19 but the Pioneers got a kill from Sarah Dankovich (El Paso, TX/Coronado) and a block by Ava Zollinger (Orlando, FL/Lake Highland Prep) and Abby Hunt (Mandeville, LA/Fontainebleau) to clinch the set, 25-19
- Coast Guard established a 10-3 advantage in the third and used the momentum to get on the board, 25-14
- The fourth game featured four ties at the beginning before Smith used a 5-1 run midway through the set to lead 18-12 before the home team pulled out the 25-18 win
- Abby Sweeney (Spring, TX/Klein) paced Smith with 11 kills, followed by nine from Mia Moscicki (Medford Lakes, NJ/Shawnee)
- Gabby Beckman (Aurora, CO/Grandview) collected a match-high 14 digs
- Nathalie Pak (Lexington, MA/Lexington) finished with 18 assists, while Sophia Padilla (Fontana, CA/Saint Lucy's Priory) added a6
Up Next
Smith returns to the court for a doubleheader on Friday, September 23 when it hosts Simmons at 5:00pm and Elms at 7:00pm.
About Smith Athletics: Smith College is a NCAA Division III member of the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference that sponsors 11 intercollegiate sports. For more information log on to smithpioneers.com and follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
