Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 NORTHAMPTON, Mass. -- The Smith College volleyball team defeated New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) opponent Clark University, 3-0 (25-17, 25-17, 25-20), before falling to non-conference Bowdoin, 3-1 (20-25, 25-23, 18-25, 20-25), on Saturday in a double header. 

The Pioneers shift to 8-5 and 2-0 in conference play while the Clark Cougars drop to 8-4 and 1-1 in league action and the Bowdoin Polar Bears improve to 6-3. 

Highlights vs Clark

• With Smith trailing behind Clark 13-12 in the first set, the Pioneers recorded ten of the next 11 points to take the lead 22-14
• The Cougars attempted to pull back but after an ace from Claudia Poehlmann (Chicago, IL/Lane Tech) Smith took the first set 25-17
• Tied at 12-12 in the second set, the Pioneers registered seven unanswered points to claim a 19-12 advantage 
• Still in the lead at 21-17, Smith posted a four-point run capped off by a service ace from Poehlmann to win the second set 25-17
• With the Pioneers behind 12-7, Smith notched a pair of four-point rallies and two three-point runs to take the edge 22-16
• A kill from Abby Sweeney (Spring, TX/Klein) clinched the 25-20 victory for Smith and the 3-0 sweep  
• Abby Hunt (Mandeville, LA/Fontainebleau) led the Pioneer offense with 15 kills (.294) while Sweeney totaled 12 (.348)
• Meg Hopkins (Matthews, NC/Covenant Day School) posted 26 assists while Ruby Woodward (Winchester, MA/Winchester) added 13
• Libero Gabby Beckman (Berthoud, CO/Grandview) guided the Smith defense with 17 digs while Olivia Teske (Minneapolis, MN/South High Minneapolis) and Hunt recorded 11 apiece 
• The Pioneers produced a hitting average of .263  

Highlights vs Bowdoin

• The Pioneers began the first set with a slight 14-12 advantage
• Bowdoin recorded six of the next seven points to take the lead 18-15
• The Polar Bears were able to hold on to their lead finishing the first set with a 25-20 victory
• With Bowdoin trailing 8-9 in the second set, the Pioneers delivered six unanswered points to claim the 15-8 edge 
• The Polar Bears closed the gap falling only one point behind Smith at 21-20 but the Pioneers were ultimately able to win the second set 25-23
• In the third set Bowdoin jumped out to an early 8-1 lead which they were able to maintain for the remainder of the set finishing ahead 25-18
• Tied at 11-11 in the fourth set, the Polar Bears posted an 8-1 run to pull away from Smith with a 19-12 edge
• The Pioneers attempted to close the gap but Bowdoin finished on top 25-20 claiming the 3-1 victory over Smith  
• Olivia Teske (Minneapolis, MN/South High Minneapolis) (hitting .239) finished the night with 16 kills while Abby Hunt (Mandeville, LA/Fontainebleau) posted 13
• Meg Hopkins (Matthews, NC/Covenant Day School) recorded 20 assists while Ruby Woodward (Winchester, MA/Winchester) added 15
• Abby Hunt (Mandeville, LA/Fontainebleau) led the Pioneer defense with 18 digs while Teske posted 15 and Gabby Beckman (Berthoud, CO/Grandview) finished with 10

Up Next
The Pioneers will travel to Worcester, Mass. to face NEWMAC opponent Worcester Polytechnic Institute on Tuesday, September 26 for a 7pm game. 

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.