NORTHAMPTON, Mass. — The Smith College volleyball team opens its road schedule this weekend with four matches at the University of Rochester Invitational, Friday and Saturday, Sept. 11-12, at Louis Alexander Palestra in Rochester, N.Y. The Bears arrive at 4-0 after sweeping the field at the Bonnie May Invitational at Ainsworth Gymnasium.
Smith hit .242 as a team across 14 sets in the season-opening weekend, averaging 12.00 kills, 13.14 digs and 1.93 blocks per set while holding opponents to .112. Alison Chapin (Temecula, CA/Temecula Valley High School) paced the offense with 40 kills. Mia Etheridge (Half Moon Bay, CA/Half Moon Bay) added 25 kills, a team-high eight service aces and 28 digs, while Uma Schulz (Riverwoods, IL/Deerfield High School) (25), Addison Klunder (Los Angeles, CA/The Buckley School) (23) and Anna Feuer (Frederick, MD/Governor Thomas Johnson) (22) all reached 20-plus kills. Feuer led the front line with 16 total blocks. Skye Higashihara (Honolulu, HI/'Iolani School) distributed 73 assists and added a team-high 30 digs, with Hana Suzuki (Chattanooga, TN/East Hamilton High School) contributing 41 assists and Ruth Tullis (Edmond, OK/Oklahoma Christian School) 22 digs. Smith was picked fourth in the NEWMAC preseason coaches poll.
Friday, Sept. 11, 2 p.m. — Clarkson University (3-1)
Smith and Clarkson have met once, a 2-0 Bears win in Northampton on Oct. 14, 1995, giving Smith a 1-0 edge in the series. The Golden Knights, coached by Carol LaMarche, opened with three straight sweeps before falling to Middlebury in five sets on Sunday. Clarkson is averaging 2.64 aces and 17.4 digs per set and has held opponents to .071. Conley Burns leads the offense with 46 kills after averaging 3.31 per set as a first-year and earning Liberty League Rookie of the Week honors five times, with Ainslie Reimer at 39 kills and Chase Chudoba at 29 kills and a team-high 12 blocks. Setter Brianna Hale has 127 assists and 40 digs. Libero Olivia Baxter, Clarkson's lone all-conference selection a year ago after finishing second in the Liberty League at 5.40 digs per set, leads the back row with 67 digs, and senior Cecilia Velardi has a team-best 11 aces.
Friday, Sept. 11, 6 p.m. — at University of Rochester (3-1)
The Bears own the only meeting in this series, a five-set win in Rochester on Sept. 3, 2021, by scores of 25-16, 22-25, 25-19, 17-26, 15-13. The host Yellowjackets have won three straight after splitting opening night at the Red Dragon Invitational. Myla Nover-Estes leads the UAA program with 56 kills at 3.73 per set and a .265 clip, backed by Claire Feczko (23 kills) and Ellen Porter (21). Rochester runs a two-setter look with Iliana Balaskas (60 assists) and Juliette Azzariti (43 assists, 11 aces), and libero Lydia Weeks has 53 digs at 3.53 per set. The Yellowjackets have served 56 aces in 15 sets.
Saturday, Sept. 12, 1 p.m. — Penn College (0-5)
Saturday marks the first meeting between the programs. The Wildcats have been swept in each of their five matches, hitting minus-.012 as a team while opponents hit .254. Lilly Stockum leads the group with 24 kills at 2.00 per set, and Peyton Maass has been a two-way presence with 23 kills and a team-high 41 digs. Taryn Smith runs the offense with 41 assists, and Eleana Falkner has 26 digs and seven aces. Penn College hosts King's on Wednesday before traveling to Rochester.
Saturday, Sept. 12, 3 p.m. — Alfred University (2-2)
The Bears and Saxons meet for the first time. Alfred split four matches at Morrisville, sweeping St. Francis (Pa.) and SUNY Poly while falling to SUNY Morrisville and Alfred State. Carleigh Santavy leads Alfred with 35 kills at 2.69 per set and has added 22 digs, while Abigail Omelan has 25 kills at a team-best .274 and Julia Abbott has 21. Meeghan Peterson leads the Empire 8 program with 48 assists and 10 aces, and libero Madalynn McGowan has 46 digs at 3.54 per set.
Smith returns to Massachusetts the following weekend for the New England Classic, opening against Endicott College on Friday, Sept. 18, at 6 p.m. at Brandeis University.
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.
