NORTHAMPTON, Mass. — The Smith College volleyball team opens its 2026 campaign on Friday, Sept. 4, when the Bears host the fifth annual Bonnie May Invitational at Ainsworth Gymnasium, welcoming Colby-Sawyer, Bridgewater State, Worcester State and Hamilton to Northampton for a four-match weekend. Head coach Greg Walker's squad returns six seniors and roughly two-thirds of its offensive production from a 2025 season that ended 19-12 overall and 7-4 in the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference.

Preseason Outlook

Smith was picked fourth in the NEWMAC preseason poll, released Tuesday. MIT topped the 12-team ballot with 11 first-place votes, followed by Babson (one first-place vote) and Springfield. Coast Guard, Emerson, Wellesley, WPI, Wheaton, Mount Holyoke, Salve Regina and Clark rounded out the order behind the Bears.

Building on 2025

Smith earned the No. 4 seed in last fall's NEWMAC Tournament before falling to Coast Guard in the quarterfinals at Ainsworth. The Bears finished 10-5 at home, out-hit their opponents .225 to .141, and held decisive edges in aces (264 to 183) and total blocks (249.0 to 143.5). Smith also received votes in the AVCA Division III Coaches Poll in the preseason and in weeks two and three.

The Senior Class

Mia Etheridge (Half Moon Bay, CA/Half Moon Bay) headlines the group after a NEWMAC First Team and AVCA All-Region II Honorable Mention season, leading the Bears with 237 kills (3.16 per set) on a .258 clip while adding 165 digs and 32 service aces. Addison Klunder (Los Angeles, CA/The Buckley School) ranked third on the team with 165 kills and second with 185 digs, and was one of four Bears named CSC Academic All-District. Anna Feuer (Frederick, MD/Governor Thomas Johnson) anchored the middle, pacing Smith with 99 total blocks and 27 solo stuffs while hitting .209. Ruth Tullis (Edmond, OK/Oklahoma Christian School) led the team with 217 digs and a .923 reception percentage in the back row.

Returning Firepower

Sophomore Alison Chapin (Temecula, CA/Temecula Valley High School) was second on the roster with 183 kills at a .249 rate and produced a season-high 19 kills in a five-set match at Trinity, while junior setter Skye Higashihara (Honolulu, HI/'Iolani School) ran the offense to the tune of 516 assists (5.38 per set) and added 169 digs. Uma Schulz (Riverwoods, IL/Deerfield High School) posted the team's best hitting percentage among regulars at .328 with 100 kills and 39 blocks, Maddie Hliboki (Valley Village, CA/Harvard Westlake) led Smith with 41 aces and recorded 171 digs, and Hana Suzuki (Chattanooga, TN/East Hamilton High School) delivered 137 assists in 34 sets.

The Newcomers

Five first-years join the roster: outside hitter Stella Jones (Harrisonburg, VA/Spotswood High School), middle blocker/opposite Isis Boyd (San Diego, California/Del Norte High School), opposite Nola Gannon (Dallas, Texas/Townview TAG), middle blocker/opposite Kate Nordyke (Dallas, Texas/Ursuline Academy of Dallas) and defensive specialist/libero Natalia Rossi (Mebane, North Carolina/Eno River Academy). Gannon and Nordyke add size at 6-2 and 6-1, respectively, in a front row that already features the 6-4 Feuer and 6-2 Schulz.

The Schedule

Smith's 30-match slate includes 16 dates at Ainsworth Gymnasium. After the Bonnie May Invitational, the Bears travel to the Rochester Invitational on Sept. 11-12 for matches against Clarkson, host Rochester, Penn College and Alfred, then head to the New England Classic on Sept. 18-19 to face Endicott at Brandeis before meeting William Smith and Union at Babson. Conference play opens Sept. 22 against Coast Guard at home and continues through 11 NEWMAC matches, and Ainsworth hosts the NESCAC-NEWMAC Challenge on Oct. 23-24 with Wesleyan and Trinity (Conn.) visiting Northampton. The regular season closes Nov. 7 against Wellesley, with the NEWMAC Tournament beginning Nov. 10.

Up Next

Smith opens the 2026 season Friday, Sept. 4, at 5 p.m. against Colby-Sawyer 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.