NORTHAMPTON, Mass. — Alison Chapin (Temecula, CA/Temecula Valley High School) posted 19 kills on .447 hitting for Smith College Volleyball, but MIT held off the Bears 25-23, 25-22, 23-25, 26-24 in NEWMAC play Tuesday night at Ainsworth Gymnasium. The loss snapped Smith's three-match winning streak and moved the Bears to 24-5 overall and 8-2 in the conference. MIT improved to 21-4 and 8-2.
Chapin recorded eight of her kills in the fourth set. Smith led 21-20 after a block by Anna Feuer (Frederick, MD/Governor Thomas Johnson) and Addison Klunder (Los Angeles, CA/The Buckley School), and Chapin's kill cut MIT's lead to 24-23. An Engineers attack error tied it at 24, but MIT took the next two points to close the match. The Bears forced the fourth set by rallying from a 19-16 deficit in the third. After MIT went up 23-22, Smith scored the final three points, and Natalia Rossi (Mebane, North Carolina/Eno River Academy) ended the set with an ace.
Klunder and Mia Etheridge (Half Moon Bay, CA/Half Moon Bay) each posted double-doubles. Klunder had 11 kills and 11 digs, and Etheridge added 10 kills, 11 digs and two aces. Feuer hit .385 with seven kills and three blocks, and Uma Schulz (Riverwoods, IL/Deerfield High School) also had three blocks. Skye Higashihara (Honolulu, HI/'Iolani School) handed out 24 assists with nine digs, and Hana Suzuki (Chattanooga, TN/East Hamilton High School) added 15 assists and two aces.
Smith outhit MIT .237 to .232 and outblocked the Engineers 7-6. The teams were tied 35 times, with 17 lead changes. Sabine Smith led MIT with 22 kills, Eileen Sadati added 14, and Kayleigh May had 43 assists and four blocks.
Smith closes the regular season against Wellesley at noon Saturday, Nov. 7, at Ainsworth Gymnasium.
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.
