NORTHAMPTON, Mass. — Smith College opened New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference play with a 25-15, 25-22, 25-18 sweep of Coast Guard on Tuesday night at Ainsworth Gymnasium. The Bears improved to 11-1 overall and 1-0 in the NEWMAC. Coast Guard fell to 8-3 and 0-1.
Nola Gannon (Dallas, Texas/Townview TAG) led Smith with 11 kills on 21 attacks and hit .429 with three blocks. She keyed the first-set breakaway. With Ruth Tullis (Edmond, OK/Oklahoma Christian School) at the service line, the Bears scored six straight points to turn a 10-5 lead into a 15-5 advantage. Gannon had three kills and a block during that stretch. Smith hit .367 in the opening set, and Alison Chapin (Temecula, CA/Temecula Valley High School) closed it with a kill.
Coast Guard led the second set 10-5, but Smith answered with another Tullis service run. Blocks by Chapin and by Anna Feuer (Frederick, MD/Governor Thomas Johnson) and Gannon started four straight points that put the Bears ahead 12-11. The set had nine ties and six lead changes. With the score even at 18, Hana Suzuki (Chattanooga, TN/East Hamilton High School) served an ace and Uma Schulz (Riverwoods, IL/Deerfield High School) followed with a kill. Gannon then ended the set with a kill.
Smith pulled away in the third set with six blocks. Suzuki's serving run produced three straight block points and a 21-13 lead, and Addison Klunder (Los Angeles, CA/The Buckley School) finished with four kills in the set, including the match point. The Bears out-blocked Coast Guard 12-3 and held the Bears' visitors to a .066 hitting percentage. Schulz had four kills without an error and a team-high four blocks. Mia Etheridge (Half Moon Bay, CA/Half Moon Bay) added eight kills and 11 digs. Skye Higashihara (Honolulu, HI/'Iolani School) had 14 assists, and Suzuki had 13 assists and 13 digs. Tullis led the defense with 15 digs, and Natalia Rossi (Mebane, North Carolina/Eno River Academy) served two aces.
Smith (11-1, 1-0 NEWMAC) travels to Babson College for a 2 p.m. match on Saturday, Sept. 26.
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.
