Northampton, MA — On Saturday afternoon, the Smith College volleyball team continued their strong season with two commanding sweeps over Baruch (25-11, 25-13, 25-12) and Maine Maritime (25-12, 25-19, 25-12) at Ainsworth Gymnasium. Smith also honored their eight seniors before their match against Baruch. With these victories, Smith improved to 25-5 overall. 

 Match Highlights

• Smith started the day with a confident performance against Baruch, delivering powerful offense and consistently strong serves.
• Smith took control from the opening serve, with Olivia Teske (Minneapolis, MN/South High Minneapolis) leading an early 6-0 run by delivering five consecutive aces, placing Baruch on the defensive.
• Abby Sweeney (Spring, TX/Klein) kept the momentum going with three kills in a row, pushing Smith to a 15-6 lead.
• Taylor Gwynne (Chapel Hill, NC/Carrborro) directed the offense smoothly, leading to a .435 team hitting percentage for the set.
• A final cross-court kill from Ari Cross (Milwaukee, WI/Rufus King) sealed the set for Smith at 25-11.
• In the second set, Smith maintained their lead with strong contributions from Miranda Oakes (San Francisco, CA/San Francisco University), who posted two kills and a solo block, extending Smith's lead to 18-10.
• Claudia Poehlmann (Chicago, IL/Lane Tech) provided a key service ace late in the set, pushing Smith's lead to double digits.
• Sweeney finished the set with a decisive kill down the middle, giving Smith a 25-13 win.
• Smith continued their dominant play in the third set. Gwynne set up a quick attack that allowed Sweeney and Teske to record back-to-back kills, widening the gap to 12-4.
• Oakes added a block, and Cross's high-speed serve pressured Baruch into errors, helping Smith close the match at 25-12 with a powerful kill from Sweeney.
• Smith carried their momentum into the second match, dominating Maine Maritime with quick offense and tight defense.
• Smith's offense clicked instantly, with Abby Hunt (Mandeville, LA/Fontainebleau) recording four kills in the first 10 points, building a 10-3 lead. Mia Etheridge (Half Moon Bay, CA/Half Moon Bay) delivered a pair of aces to further extend the lead, and Gwynne added three assists in a row, leading Smith to a stellar .600 hitting percentage. Olivia Smith (Mill Valley, CA/Tamalpais) capped off the set with a service ace, closing it at 25-12.
• Maine Maritime challenged Smith in the second set, but Dankovich anchored Smith's defense with eight digs, holding the Mariners at bay. With the score tied at 17-17, Etheridge swung momentum back in Smith's favor with a hard kill, followed by an ace. Hunt closed the set with a strong swing, giving Smith a 25-19 victory.
• In the third set, Smith dominated from the start. Olivia Smith (Mill Valley, CA/Tamalpais) served three straight aces to give Smith a 9-2 advantage. Gwynne orchestrated plays that led to quick kills from Oakes and Teske, extending the lead to 20-10. A final block by Hunt ended the match at 25-12, securing Smith's second sweep of the day.

Box Score:

• Abby Hunt (Mandeville, LA/Fontainebleau) led the team with 16 kills and a .714 hitting percentage in the second match against Maine Maritime. 
• Mia Etheridge (Half Moon Bay, CA/Half Moon Bay) recorded 11 kills and five aces in the second match. 
• Taylor Gwynne (Chapel Hill, NC/Carrborro): Tallied 36 assists and 9 digs, controlling the pace of play.
• Olivia Teske (Minneapolis, MN/South High Minneapolis) finished the first match with 12 aces, a new season and career high. 

Up Next

The Pioneers resume competition on Tuesday evening, as they face off against Coast Guard at 7pm in Ainsworth Gymasnium.