WORCESTER, Mass. — No. 21 Smith College swept Clark University 25-23, 25-10, 25-23 in NEWMAC play Tuesday night at Kneller Gymnasium. The Bears improved to 19-1 overall and 6-0 in the conference, extended their winning streak to 10 matches and secured the best 20-match start in program history.
Smith outhit Clark .250 to .071 and held edges in aces (8-7) and blocks (7.0-4.0). Alison Chapin (Temecula, CA/Temecula Valley High School) led the attack with nine kills and no errors on 14 swings (.643) in two sets. Anna Feuer (Frederick, MD/Governor Thomas Johnson) added six kills on 10 errorless attempts and six blocks, two of them solo. Addison Klunder (Los Angeles, CA/The Buckley School) posted six kills and nine digs, and Sara Warren (Long Beach, CA/Sato) had four kills and four block assists. Skye Higashihara (Honolulu, HI/'Iolani School) distributed 20 assists with three aces and 11 digs, while Hana Suzuki (Chattanooga, TN/East Hamilton High School) added 12 assists and two aces.
The Bears broke a 7-7 tie in the first set with a five-point run on Higashihara's serve, including an ace and back-to-back Warren-Feuer blocks, for a 13-7 lead. Clark pulled within 22-21 before Chapin's kill closed the set at 25-23. Smith scored 11 of the first 14 points of the second set and got six straight on Higashihara's serve, including two aces, to go up 18-6. Natalia Rossi (Mebane, North Carolina/Eno River Academy) served the final five points, finishing with an ace, as Clark hit -.077 in the frame.
Rossi opened the third set with five straight points, including two aces, for a 6-1 lead. Clark answered with a five-point run to tie it 18-18 and later drew even at 23-23, but Uma Schulz (Riverwoods, IL/Deerfield High School) put down a kill and Suzuki closed the match with an ace. Rossi finished with three aces and Ruth Tullis (Edmond, OK/Oklahoma Christian School) had seven digs. Isabella Alcott led Clark (4-11, 0-6 NEWMAC) with 14 kills. Smith now leads the all-time series 27-11, has won the last four meetings and is 12-6 in Worcester.
Smith returns to Ainsworth Gym on Saturday, Oct. 17, to host Salve Regina at 1 p.m. and Simmons at 5 p.m.
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.
