NORTHAMPTON, Mass. — The Smith College volleyball team carries an unbeaten record into its third straight tournament weekend, opening the New England Classic against Endicott College on Friday, Sept. 18, at 6 p.m. at Brandeis University in Waltham, Mass., before a Saturday doubleheader at Babson College against William Smith College at 12:30 p.m. and Union College at 3 p.m.
Smith arrives at 8-0 after running the table at its own Bonnie May Invitational and the Rochester Invitational. The Bears opened with wins over Colby-Sawyer, Bridgewater State, Worcester State and Hamilton at Ainsworth Gymnasium, then went 4-0 in Rochester with victories over Clarkson (3-2), host Rochester (3-1), Penn College (3-0) and Alfred (3-0). Five of the eight wins have come in straight sets, and Smith is 4-0 at home, 1-0 on the road and 3-0 at neutral sites.
The start has come from a group picked fourth in the NEWMAC preseason poll that returns six seniors. Anna Feuer (Frederick, MD/Governor Thomas Johnson) (Frederick, MD/Governor Thomas Johnson) was named NEWMAC Defensive Player of the Week on Sept. 8 for her work at the net during the opening weekend.
Scouting the field
Endicott was 4-2 through Sept. 12, most recently dropping a 3-1 decision to Emerson. The Gulls, members of the Conference of New England, went 17-12 a year ago and reached the CNE championship match for the second consecutive season.
William Smith enters at 5-1 with three straight wins, including a 3-1 comeback against No. 22 Christopher Newport and a 3-2 win over host William Paterson last weekend in Wayne, N.J. The Herons went 24-8 in 2025 and reached the Liberty League title match for a third straight year. First-year outside hitter Cassidy Breuer has been the primary attacking threat, with 19 kills in a five-set match against then-No. 15 Wesleyan.
Union is the other unbeaten in the field at 7-0, having swept through the Johnson & Wales Invitational and gone 4-0 at its own Crosstown Challenge, with wins over SUNY Cobleskill, Hartwick, Alfred State and SUNY Oneonta.
The three opponents are a combined 14-3, and the weekend is the Bears' final non-conference tournament of the season. Smith plays three matches in under 24 hours across two venues before opening NEWMAC play the following Tuesday.
Up Next
Smith returns to Ainsworth Gymnasium on Tuesday, Sept. 22, at 7 p.m. to open NEWMAC play against the United States Coast Guard Academy.
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.
