mithNORTHAMPTON, Mass. — Smith College lost the first set, then won three straight to beat Wellesley College 3-1 (20-25, 25-22, 26-24, 25-17) on Saturday at Ainsworth Gymnasium. The Bears finished the NEWMAC regular season 25-5 overall and 9-2 in league play.
Wellesley took the opening set 25-20 even though Natalia Rossi (Mebane, North Carolina/Eno River Academy) served two aces during a five-point Smith run that made it 7-2. Smith answered in the second set by hitting .417, with 16 kills and one error. Hana Suzuki (Chattanooga, TN/East Hamilton High School) served four straight points for a 10-6 lead. Wellesley tied it 20-20 and again at 22-22, but kills by Sara Warren (Long Beach, CA/Sato) and Ruth Tullis (Edmond, OK/Oklahoma Christian School) put the Bears ahead, and a Wellesley ball-handling error ended the set 25-22.
Smith fell behind by as many as six points in the third set, at 16-10, and still trailed 22-18 before scoring five straight points. The last four came with Tullis serving. Alison Chapin (Temecula, CA/Temecula Valley High School) and Uma Schulz (Riverwoods, IL/Deerfield High School) combined on a block, Schulz added a kill and Tullis served an ace to give Smith a 23-22 lead. After two more ties, Mia Etheridge (Half Moon Bay, CA/Half Moon Bay) ended the set 26-24 with a kill off a Suzuki assist.
"I think it was just reminding ourselves who we are and how we can play, and knowing what we do in practice every single day can translate onto the court," Schulz said. "Just playing as ourselves, keeping our own tempo and keeping that grind and moving forward."
Smith hit .462 without an attack error in the fourth set. Suzuki served six straight points, including two aces, to turn a 4-3 lead into a 10-3 lead. The Bears led by as many as 11 and closed it 25-17.
Chapin led all players with 16 kills and hit .438. Etheridge added nine kills, six digs and three block assists. Schulz had eight kills on 14 attempts (.500) and three blocks. Anna Feuer (Frederick, MD/Governor Thomas Johnson) led the team with five block assists and hit .429 with four kills. Addison Klunder (Los Angeles, CA/The Buckley School) and Warren each had five kills. Suzuki had 22 assists and Skye Higashihara (Honolulu, HI/'Iolani School) had 19 assists and eight digs. Tullis led the back row with 10 digs. Smith outhit Wellesley .331 to .162 and outblocked the visitors 8-3. Else Kunze-Hoeg led Wellesley with 13 kills, 20 assists and five aces, Ella Mancuso added 13 kills and Caroline Meyer had 16 digs.
Smith will play host to Springfield College at 7 PM on Tuesday evening in the NEWMAC Quarterfinal.
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.
