NORTHAMPTON, Mass. — Alison Chapin (Temecula, CA/Temecula Valley High School) and Anna Feuer (Frederick, MD/Governor Thomas Johnson) combined for 33 kills as Smith College defeated WPI 3-1 (25-20, 25-17, 22-25, 25-12) in NEWMAC play Tuesday night at Ainsworth Gym. The Bears (16-1, 5-0 NEWMAC) won their seventh straight match, matching the 1988 team for the best 17-match start in program history, and are off to their best start in NEWMAC play. Smith has won four straight against the Engineers and leads the all-time series 31-11.
Chapin led all players with 18 kills on 41 swings for a .390 hitting percentage, adding three aces, seven digs and two blocks. Feuer added 15 kills on 27 attempts, hit .444 and had three block assists, raising her career total to 320 blocks, eighth in program history. Smith hit .276 with 59 kills and 10 aces while holding WPI to .220. Skye Higashihara (Honolulu, HI/'Iolani School) had 26 assists and eight digs, and Hana Suzuki (Chattanooga, TN/East Hamilton High School) added 21 assists and two aces. Ruth Tullis (Edmond, OK/Oklahoma Christian School) led the back row with 18 digs and five assists, and Addison Klunder (Los Angeles, CA/The Buckley School) had seven kills, 16 digs and two aces.
Klunder served six straight points early in the first set, including an ace, to turn a 3-2 lead into an 8-2 advantage. WPI pulled within 22-20 before Feuer answered with a kill and Klunder closed the set with back-to-back kills. Chapin had seven kills in the second set, and Natalia Rossi (Mebane, North Carolina/Eno River Academy) served six straight points to turn an 11-8 lead into a 17-8 cushion on the way to a 25-17 win.
Feuer had eight kills in the third set, and Smith led 16-8 after Klunder served five straight points. WPI outscored the Bears 17-6 the rest of the way, taking the lead on two aces by Lauren Boycourt during a four-point run, and won the set 25-22. Smith responded in the fourth: Rossi served four straight points for a 6-1 lead, and Chapin served eight in a row, including two aces, to stretch a 9-4 lead to 16-4. Nola Gannon (Dallas, Texas/Townview TAG) added five kills and two blocks, and Suzuki ended the match with an ace.
Smith returns to action Saturday, Oct. 10, against New England College at 1 p.m. at Lasell University in Newton, Mass., before facing host Lasell at 3 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.
