NORTHAMPTON, Mass. – For the second straight year, the Smith College Bears and the Springfield College Pride will meet in the quarterfinals of the NEWMAC Women's Tennis Championship – and for the second straight year, it'll happen on the Smith Outdoor Tennis Courts. Fourth-seeded Smith hosts No. 5 Springfield on Tuesday, April 28 at 4:00 p.m., with a trip to top-seeded MIT on the line.

MATCH INFORMATION

• Matchup: No. 4 Smith vs. No. 5 Springfield (NEWMAC Quarterfinal)
• Date/Time: Tuesday, April 28, 2026 | 4:00 p.m.
• Location: Northampton, Mass. – Smith Outdoor Tennis Courts
• Records: Smith (5-3 NEWMAC, ITA No. 56) | Springfield (9-7, 4-4 NEWMAC)

LAST TIME OUT
The Bears handled this exact matchup just two weeks ago, taking down Springfield 5-2 on April 14 in Northampton. Smith set the tone in doubles, sweeping all three matches – junior Ayla Hauser (Knoxville, TN/Bearden) and sophomore Natazya Simunyola (Lorton, VA/South County High School) needed a tiebreak to outlast Erica Jud and Alyssa Elliott 7-6 at No. 2 doubles to seal the team point. From there, Smith took control of the middle of the singles lineup, claiming No. 2 through No. 5 in straight sets to clinch the match. Springfield's two points came at the top and bottom of the lineup: Kapom Vettayawaikoon outlasted her Smith counterpart at No. 1 in a third-set super tiebreak (4-6, 6-3, 10-4), and Ava Shea topped Sophia Dube (Portland, OR/Oregon Episcopal School) 7-5, 6-4 at No. 6.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

For Smith, junior Ayla Hauser (Knoxville, TN/Bearden) anchors the lineup at No. 1 singles and was specifically called out by the conference office in this week's bracket release for her play in the top spot. The 2025 NEWMAC All-Conference First Team selection has been the steady centerpiece of the Bears' lineup since her arrival. Sophomore Natazya Simunyola (Lorton, VA/South County High School)  has been steady across both singles and doubles all spring, while junior Sophia Dube (Portland, OR/Oregon Episcopal School)  holds down the bottom of the lineup. 

For Springfield, the headliner is Peyton Gaudreau, who was named NEWMAC Women's Tennis Singles Player of the Week heading into postseason play. The Pride also lean on No. 1 player Kapom Vettayawaikoon, the doubles tandem of Erica Jud  and Alyssa Elliott, and Ava Shea, who has won at No. 6 in each of her past two outings.

POSTSEASON HISTORY
This is the second consecutive year Smith and Springfield will face off in the NEWMAC Quarterfinal at the same seedings (4 vs. 5) and at the same site. Last spring, Smith hosted the Pride on April 29, 2025 and advanced with a 4-1 win, taking the doubles point on the strength of straight-set victories and clinching with Simunyola's 6-1, 6-2 win at No. 2 singles. Smith went on to drop a 4-0 decision to top-seeded MIT in the semifinals at the DuPont Tennis Courts. The Bears are looking to win back-to-back NEWMAC Tournament matches for the first time in program history.

WHAT'S NEXT
The winner advances to the NEWMAC Semifinals on Saturday, May 2 at MIT, where they'll take on the top-seeded Engineers (8-0 NEWMAC, ITA No. 10). The conference championship match is set for Sunday, May 3 at MIT, with the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Championship on the line.

FOLLOW THE BEARS For live stats, updates and post-match coverage, follow @smithcollege_tennis on Instagram and visit gosmithbears.com.