NORTHAMPTON, MASS. - The Smith College volleyball team defeated visiting Union College in nonconference action on Friday evening. The Pioneers improve to 13-4 while the Dutchwomen drop to 8-7 on the season.

Highlights

• The first set was a close battle as the teams exchanged points
• As Smith held onto a slight 12-10 lead, the Pioneers collected four points to pull away
• With Union behind 16-10, the Dutchwomen responded with a five-point run capped off with a kill from Keara Page
• The two teams traded in back-in-forth play until Smith had a slight 20-18 edge  
• The Pioneers pulled away posting a five-point sweep finishing with a kill from Olivia Teske (Minneapolis, Minn./South High Minneapolis)
• The second set was also a close contest with neither team more than a two-point lead
• As Smith was behind 19-18, they fought back seven-point sweep as Teske recorded a kill to win the second set for the Pioneers
• In the final round, pushed to hold an advantage for a majority of the set
• With the Pioneers holding a slight 10-9 edge, Smith pulled away with a 6-1 run to gain a significant 16-10 lead
• Union responded by totaling eight more points in the final set, but were not able to defeat Smith as the Pioneers topped off the final set 25-18 to win a clean 3-0 sweep

Notes

• Abby Sweeney (Spring, TX/Klein) and Olivia Teske (Minneapolis, Minn./South High Minneapolis) led the Smith attack with nine kills each 
• Sophia Padilla (Fontana, Calif./Saint Lucy's Priory) recorded a match-high 17 assists while Nathalie Pak (Lexington, MA/Lexington) added 14 assists
• Smith libero Gabby Beckman (Aurora, Colo./Grandview) totaled seven digs while Sarah Dankovich (El Paso, Texas/Coronado) produced five
• Ava Zollinger (Orlando, Fla./Lake Highland Prep) led the Smith defense notching six blocks while Sweeny added five

Up Next
Smith returns to the court tomorrow afternoon on Saturday, October 1 as the Pioneers hosts NEWMAC opponent MIT at 12:00 pm.

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.