NORTHAMPTON, Mass. — No. 19 Smith College Volleyball (21-2, 7-1 NEWMAC) returns to Ainsworth Gym for the NESCAC-NEWMAC Challenge this weekend. The Bears host No. 13 Wesleyan University (14-2, 7-2 NESCAC) on Friday, Oct. 23, at 7 p.m., and Trinity College (13-5, 3-5 NESCAC) on Saturday, Oct. 24, at 1 p.m. Smith is 10-0 at home this season and looks to rebound from Tuesday's four-set loss at Emerson.
No. 13 Wesleyan at No. 19 Smith
Friday, Oct. 23 | 7 p.m.
Ainsworth Gym | Northampton, Mass.
Trinity at No. 19 Smith
Saturday, Oct. 24 | 1 p.m.
Ainsworth Gym | Northampton, Mass.
SERIES HISTORY
The all-time series with Wesleyan is even at 11-11 in a matchup that dates back to 1989. The Cardinals won the most recent meeting. The last time the teams played at Ainsworth, on Sept. 14, 2024, Smith upset then-No. 14 Wesleyan 3-2. Smith is 5-4 at home against the Cardinals.
Smith leads the series with Trinity 20-7 in a matchup that dates back to 1986, and the Bears are 16-5 at home against the Bantams. Trinity won the last meeting. Smith had won the two before that: 3-1 in Worcester in 2022 and 3-2 in Hartford in 2023. Saturday is Trinity's first trip to Northampton since 2021.
LAST MEETING
Wesleyan swept Smith 25-13, 25-19, 25-23 at Silloway Gymnasium on Oct. 24, 2025. The Bears led 7-1 in the third set and rallied from 23-20 down to tie it at 23 before the Cardinals closed it out. Wesleyan hit .202 with 41 kills and eight aces, and Smith outblocked the Cardinals 10-3. Alison Chapin (Temecula, CA/Temecula Valley High School) had five kills, four blocks and eight digs, and Hana Suzuki (Chattanooga, TN/East Hamilton High School) handed out 11 assists.
Trinity rallied from two sets down to beat Smith 14-25, 15-25, 25-20, 25-23, 17-15 at Ray Oosting Gymnasium on Oct. 25, 2025. Smith won the first two sets by a combined 50-29, hit .168 to Trinity's .097 and outblocked the Bantams 15-8. Chapin had 19 kills, and Addison Klunder (Los Angeles, CA/The Buckley School) added 15 kills and 20 digs. Skye Higashihara (Honolulu, HI/'Iolani School) posted 28 assists and 15 digs, and Anna Feuer (Frederick, MD/Governor Thomas Johnson) had seven blocks.
SCOUTING THE BEARS
Emerson beat Smith 29-27, 25-18, 22-25, 25-14 in Boston on Tuesday. The loss ended the Bears' 12-match winning streak and was their first in NEWMAC play. Smith rallied from 22-18 down to earn a set point in the opener, then closed the third set on a 15-4 run. Chapin led with 12 kills and nine digs. Feuer had nine kills and six blocks, Sara Warren (Long Beach, CA/Sato) added six blocks and Uma Schulz (Riverwoods, IL/Deerfield High School) had five as Smith outblocked Emerson 11-8. First-year Natalia Rossi (Mebane, North Carolina/Eno River Academy) served five aces, and Ruth Tullis (Edmond, OK/Oklahoma Christian School) had 13 digs.
Chapin leads the Bears with 191 kills. Feuer has 154 kills and a team-high 88 blocks. Mia Etheridge (Half Moon Bay, CA/Half Moon Bay) (146), Schulz (126) and Klunder have also reached triple digits in kills. Higashihara has 397 assists. Suzuki has 307 assists and a team-high 44 aces. Tullis leads the back row with 196 digs, Warren has 61 blocks and Schulz has 58.
SCOUTING THE CARDINALS
Wesleyan has won two straight. The Cardinals beat Tufts 3-1 (25-22, 27-29, 25-22, 25-19) on Oct. 16 and Bates on Oct. 17 at Silloway Gymnasium. Against Tufts, Wesleyan posted 15 blocks despite being outkilled, earning its first win over the Jumbos since 2023. Senior middle Fiona LaCamera was named NESCAC Player of the Week. She averaged 2.57 blocks and 2.43 kills per set and hit .432, with 14 kills on .636 hitting and eight blocks against Tufts and 10 blocks against Bates. Elliana Moreno, the 2025 NESCAC Defensive Player of the Year, had 23 digs against the Jumbos.
The Cardinals opened 10-0. They then lost both matches on the weekend of Oct. 9-10, including a four-set loss at Bowdoin. Entering last week, LaCamera led the NESCAC in hitting percentage (.410) and blocks per set (1.30). Wesleyan plays at Coast Guard on Saturday.
SCOUTING THE BANTAMS
Trinity has won three straight: at Bates on Oct. 10, then Williams in five sets on Oct. 16 and Suffolk in three on Oct. 17. Senior setter Catalina Hendricks made the NESCAC Weekly Honor Roll with 54 assists, 22 digs, six kills and three aces last week. That included a game-high 28 assists against Williams and 26 assists, 13 digs and five kills in the sweep of Suffolk. Sophomore Emma Ewart had eight kills and 15 digs in a 3-1 loss at Tufts on Oct. 9.
Trinity went 12-11 last season and brought back most of its roster. Hendricks led the Bantams with 436 assists in 2025, and senior Scarlett Jago had a team-high 373 digs. Junior Maya Hall (145 kills, 48 blocks), Ewart (139 kills) and senior middle Chloe Gentile (53 blocks) also returned. The Bantams play at Coast Guard on Friday.
COMMON GROUND
Smith swept Coast Guard at Ainsworth on Sept. 22. Both weekend opponents visit New London this weekend: Trinity on Friday and Wesleyan on Saturday. Smith and Wesleyan both swept Hamilton, the Bears on Sept. 5 and the Cardinals on Sept. 18.
BEAR BITES
Smith is 10-0 at Ainsworth this season. A win Friday would give the Bears a 12-11 edge in the all-time series with Wesleyan. Higashihara is three assists shy of 400 for the season. Feuer has 342 career blocks. The Bears have 214 aces to their opponents' 135.
NUMBERS TO KNOW
- 10-0: Smith's home record
- 11-11: all-time series with Wesleyan
- 20-7: Smith's all-time record against Trinity
- 397: Higashihara's season assists
- 15-4: Smith's run to close the third set at Emerson
UP NEXT
Smith visits Mount Holyoke College in NEWMAC play on Tuesday, Oct. 27, at 7 p.m. in South Hadley, Mass.
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.
