ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Smith College finished off a 4-0 weekend at the Rochester Invitational on Saturday at the Louis Alexander Palestra, sweeping Penn College 3-0 (25-15, 25-18, 25-20) in the early match and Alfred University 3-0 (25-14, 25-13, 25-9) in the afternoon. The Bears remain unbeaten at 8-0.
Anna Feuer (Frederick, MD/Governor Thomas Johnson) and Mia Etheridge (Half Moon Bay, CA/Half Moon Bay) were named to the Rochester Invitational All-Tournament Team following the weekend.
Penn College 25-15, 25-18, 25-20
Smith went deep into its bench in the opener and got a breakout afternoon from Kate Nordyke (Dallas, Texas/Ursuline Academy of Dallas), who hit .444 with 11 kills, three aces and four blocks. Ruby Woodward (Winchester, MA/Winchester) ran the offense with 31 assists and added six kills on .455 hitting with eight digs, while Stella Jones (Harrisonburg, VA/Spotswood High School) posted nine kills and 10 digs. Uma Schulz (Riverwoods, IL/Deerfield High School) added seven kills and Isis Boyd (San Diego, California/Del Norte High School) finished with four kills and four blocks.
The Bears hit .221 as a team, held Penn College to .083 and served 11 aces. Smith closed the first set on a 7-0 run behind Jones at the service line, capped by her ace at 25-15. After trading points through the middle of the second, the Bears pulled away with a 5-0 run to lead 20-13 and finished on a Schulz kill. Penn College opened the third with four straight points, but Smith answered with a 6-0 run to take a 16-11 lead and got back-to-back Nordyke kills to close it out. Peyton Maass led the Wildcats with six kills.
Alfred 25-14, 25-13, 25-9
Smith was at its most efficient of the weekend in the finale, hitting .355 with 35 kills against just eight errors while holding Alfred to minus-.082. Anna Feuer (Frederick, MD/Governor Thomas Johnson) was nearly unstoppable in the middle, hitting .667 with nine kills and a match-high seven blocks. Alison Chapin (Temecula, CA/Temecula Valley High School) matched her with nine kills at a .368 clip, Hana Suzuki (Chattanooga, TN/East Hamilton High School) distributed 14 assists and Skye Higashihara (Honolulu, HI/'Iolani School) added 12. Schulz also hit .667 with seven kills.
The Bears trailed 3-1 early in the first before a 6-0 run pushed the lead to 24-12, and Feuer ended the set with a kill. Alfred led 4-1 in the second before Smith reeled off 11 consecutive points to go up 15-6 and hit .458 in the frame. The third was more of the same, with a 9-0 run putting the Bears ahead 24-8 and Chapin closing the match. Julia Abbott led Alfred with six kills as the Saxons dropped to 3-6.
Up Next
Smith opens the New England Classic on Friday, Sept. 18, against Endicott College at 6 p.m. at Brandeis University in Waltham, Mass.
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.
