BABSON PARK, Mass. — Fourth-seeded Smith College came back from a 2-1 deficit and beat top-seeded and No. 21 Babson College 3-2 (26-24, 19-25, 19-25, 26-24, 15-8) in the NEWMAC Championship semifinals Saturday afternoon at Staake Gymnasium. The win sends the Bears (27-5) to Sunday's conference title match. It was Smith's second win of the season over the Beavers (23-6), who had lost only once in NEWMAC play before Saturday, also to Smith.

The opening set went to the wire. Smith built a lead of as many as six points and went up 24-21, but Babson won the next three points to tie it at 24. Mia Etheridge (Half Moon Bay, CA/Half Moon Bay) answered with a kill to give the Bears set point, and a Babson attack error ended the set. Babson then took control of the middle of the match, winning the second and third sets 25-19 behind 32 kills and a .344 hitting percentage in the third.

With its season on the line, Smith trailed 16-12 in the fourth set. After a Babson service error and an ace from Hana Suzuki (Chattanooga, TN/East Hamilton High School), the Bears won four straight points with Etheridge serving to take an 18-17 lead. The set was tied 12 times. At 24-24, Etheridge put down a kill, and a Babson error sent the match to a fifth set. Smith took over the deciding set from the first serve. Skye Higashihara (Honolulu, HI/'Iolani School) served the Bears to a 5-0 lead, including an ace and back-to-back blocks from Nola Gannon (Dallas, Texas/Townview TAG). Leading 10-8, Smith closed the match on a five-point run, the last four with Ruth Tullis (Edmond, OK/Oklahoma Christian School) serving, and held Babson to a -.083 hitting percentage in the set.

Etheridge led Smith with 16 kills on .342 hitting, seven digs and 17.5 points. Anna Feuer (Frederick, MD/Governor Thomas Johnson) hit .471 with 11 kills and added five blocks, and Alison Chapin (Temecula, CA/Temecula Valley High School) had nine kills, including two in the fifth set. Suzuki (20 assists, 14 digs) and Higashihara (19 assists, six digs) ran the offense. Tullis led the back row with 15 digs and seven assists. Smith finished with a 10-9 edge in blocks and outhit Babson .193 to .180.

Ailsa Munro led Babson with 14 kills, and Hailey Fouche and Angelina Holm each added 11. Zoe Ackerman handed out 52 assists, and Sabina Frosk had 18 digs.

Up next: Smith plays the winner of Saturday's second semifinal between No. 2 MIT and No. 6 Coast Guard in the NEWMAC Championship match on Sunday, Nov. 15, at Babson. The NEWMAC champion earns the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Championship.

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.