NORTHAMPTON, Mass. — No. 24 Smith College Volleyball (18-1, 5-0 NEWMAC) continues conference play at Clark University (4-10, 0-5 NEWMAC) on Tuesday, Oct. 13, at 7 p.m. at Kneller Athletic Center in Worcester, Mass. The Bears enter on a nine-match winning streak after sweeping New England College and Lasell on Saturday in Newton, Mass.
Smith at Clark
Tuesday, Oct. 13 | 7 p.m.
Kneller Athletic Center | Worcester, Mass.
SERIES HISTORY
Smith leads the all-time series 26-11 in a matchup that dates back to 1978. The Bears have won the last three meetings and are 11-6 in Worcester. Clark won five straight in the series from 2015 to 2019, and Smith's last loss to the Cougars came in five sets in Worcester on Sept. 24, 2022. The Bears won 3-1 on their last visit, on Sept. 28, 2024.
LAST MEETING
Smith swept Clark 25-14, 25-3, 25-10 on Oct. 14, 2025, at Ainsworth Gym. The Bears hit .338 with 11 aces and held the Cougars to -.139 hitting. Smith built a 17-2 lead in the second set and closed it on a block by Anna Feuer (Frederick, MD/Governor Thomas Johnson) and Mia Etheridge (Half Moon Bay, CA/Half Moon Bay). Abby Hunt (Mandeville, LA/Fontainebleau) led the Bears with six kills, Claudia Poehlmann (Chicago, IL/Lane Tech) had four kills on six swings, Ruth Tullis (Edmond, OK/Oklahoma Christian School) had 11 digs and Hana Suzuki (Chattanooga, TN/East Hamilton High School) added 11 assists.
SCOUTING THE BEARS
Smith has won nine straight. It swept New England College 25-6, 25-17, 25-10 and host Lasell 25-15, 25-14, 25-20 on Saturday, hitting .381 across the six sets. Feuer had 17 kills on .556 hitting and eight blocks on the day. Addison Klunder (Los Angeles, CA/The Buckley School) totaled 16 kills and four aces, Uma Schulz (Riverwoods, IL/Deerfield High School) hit .636 with seven errorless kills against Lasell, and Skye Higashihara (Honolulu, HI/'Iolani School) had 31 assists. Smith's 18-1 record matches the 1988 team for the best 19-match start in program history. Alison Chapin (Temecula, CA/Temecula Valley High School) leads the Bears with 170 kills, or 3.04 per set, and averages 3.47 in NEWMAC play. Feuer is hitting .424 with 132 kills and leads the team with 74 blocks. Etheridge adds 123 kills. Higashihara has 322 assists, or 5.55 per set, and Suzuki has 254 assists and a team-high 35 aces. Tullis anchors the back row with 174 digs, or 3.28 per set, and averages 4.39 in conference play. Smith is hitting .252 and holding opponents to .120.
SCOUTING THE COUGARS
Clark has lost six straight. It won the opening set at Eastern Connecticut State on Saturday before falling 3-1 (25-23, 18-25, 27-29, 13-25). Isabella Alcott had 17 kills and 15 digs, Katelyn Williams added 11 kills and 16 digs, and Winifred Gakidis had nine kills and two blocks. Julia Dopazo had 22 assists and Hannah Harrington had 17. Harper Chinn had 16 digs, and Julia Crockett posted a career-high four blocks. Alcott leads the Cougars with 185 kills, or 3.63 per set, and a team-high 26 aces, and she averages 3.94 kills per set in NEWMAC play. She had 23 kills in a five-set win over Thomas on Sept. 12. Williams has 77 kills and 166 digs, and Gakidis has 74 kills and a team-high 36 blocks. Dopazo has 231 assists and 23 aces, and Harrington has 152 assists. Chinn leads the back row with 201 digs, or 3.94 per set. Clark is hitting .088 and holding opponents to .192.
COMMON GROUND
Smith swept Coast Guard at home on Sept. 22. Clark lost 3-0 at Coast Guard on Sept. 29. Smith beat WPI 3-1 at home on Oct. 6. Clark lost 3-0 at WPI on Oct. 3.
BEAR BITES
Smith set a season high with 20 aces against NEC. Tullis closed the 25-6 first set with seven straight points on her serve, four of them aces, and Suzuki served three straight aces to open the third. Against Lasell, the Bears held a 9-3 edge in blocks. With the third set tied at 10, Klunder served five straight points, a run that included back-to-back Feuer blocks, and Sara Warren (Long Beach, CA/Sato)'s kill sealed the sweep. Feuer's eight blocks Saturday raised her career total to 328. Smith is off to its best start in NEWMAC play and earned the first AVCA Top 25 ranking in program history last week.
NUMBERS TO KNOW
Smith is 4-0 in road matches this season. Clark is 1-3 at home. Smith averages 2.76 aces per set. Clark averages 2.00. Smith averages 2.22 blocks per set. Clark averages 1.14. Smith opponents are hitting .120. Clark is hitting .088, and .055 in NEWMAC play. Chapin averages 3.04 kills per set. Alcott leads Clark at 3.63. Tullis averages 3.28 digs per set. Chinn leads Clark at 3.94.
UP NEXT
Smith returns home to host Salve Regina at 1 p.m. and Simmons at 5 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 17, at Ainsworth Gym.
About Smith Athletics
Smith College is a NCAA Division III member of the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) that sponsors 11 intercollegiate sports. For more information, log on to GoSmithBears.com and follow the Bears on Facebook and Instagram.
