NORTHAMPTON, Mass. — No. 19 Smith College (21-4) won the middle two sets but fell to Trinity (Conn.) in five, 25-22, 16-25, 15-25, 25-23, 15-7, on Saturday afternoon at Ainsworth Gymnasium in the NESCAC-NEWMAC Challenge.
Trinity took a tight opener after the Bears came back from 19-14 down and tied it at 19 with four straight points on Addison Klunder's serve, including an ace. Smith took control in the second set. Hana Suzuki (Chattanooga, TN/East Hamilton High School) served five straight points for a 9-3 lead, and Natalia Rossi (Mebane, North Carolina/Eno River Academy) closed the set by serving the final four points. The third set went the same way. Alison Chapin (Temecula, CA/Temecula Valley High School) served six straight points, including two aces, to turn a 5-5 tie into a 10-5 lead, and Suzuki added back-to-back aces late in a 25-15 win.
The fourth set featured six ties. Stella Jones (Harrisonburg, VA/Spotswood High School) served three straight points, including an ace, to put Smith up 10-7, and the teams were level at 18, 20 and 21 before Trinity reached set point at 24-21. Klunder answered with consecutive kills, but the Bantams closed it out 25-23 to force a fifth set. Trinity's Emma Ewart then served six straight points to open the deciding set, and Smith could not recover despite a four-point run on Suzuki's serve.
Chapin and Mia Etheridge (Half Moon Bay, CA/Half Moon Bay) each posted double-doubles. Chapin had 12 kills and 12 digs, and Etheridge added 10 kills and 13 digs. Both also had two aces. Klunder chipped in 10 kills and three blocks, while Anna Feuer (Frederick, MD/Governor Thomas Johnson) hit .222 with seven kills and a team-high four blocks. Skye Higashihara (Honolulu, HI/'Iolani School) dished out 20 assists, Suzuki added 14 assists and a team-high three aces, and Rossi recorded 11 digs. Smith held a 12-8 edge in aces and an 11-8 advantage in blocks. Ewart led Trinity with 16 kills and 21 digs.
The Bears return to NEWMAC play at Mount Holyoke on Tuesday at 7 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.
