BABSON PARK, Mass. — Smith College Volleyball defeated No. 19 Babson College 3-1 (25-15, 25-15, 25-27, 25-20) on Saturday afternoon at Staake Gymnasium, handing the Beavers just their fourth home loss since the start of the 2023 season. The Bears improved to 12-1 overall and 2-0 in NEWMAC play, snapping Babson's four-match winning streak.

Smith controlled the first two sets behind its serve. Mia Etheridge (Half Moon Bay, CA/Half Moon Bay) put Smith ahead 5-2 in the opener with three straight aces, and the Bears finished the set with five aces to win 25-15. In the second set, Ruth Tullis (Edmond, OK/Oklahoma Christian School) served five straight points to turn an 8-4 lead into 12-4. Smith hit .333 in the frame to take a 2-0 lead. Babson answered in a third set that had 11 ties. The Bears rallied from 22-18 down to tie it at 23, and a block by Sara Warren (Long Beach, CA/Sato) and Anna Feuer (Frederick, MD/Governor Thomas Johnson) saved a set point at 25-25, but the Beavers closed it out 27-25.

The Bears pulled away in the fourth set. Leading 15-12, Warren and Feuer recorded back-to-back blocks to push the lead to 17-12. Natalia Rossi (Mebane, North Carolina/Eno River Academy) then served three straight points for a 21-13 cushion, and Addison Klunder (Los Angeles, CA/The Buckley School) added two kills off the bench. A block by Nola Gannon (Dallas, Texas/Townview TAG) and Feuer ended the match at 25-20.

Etheridge led Smith with 12 kills, three aces, eight digs and 15.5 points. Alison Chapin (Temecula, CA/Temecula Valley High School) added 11 kills and nine digs, and Uma Schulz (Riverwoods, IL/Deerfield High School) hit .467 with eight kills on 15 attacks. Feuer posted seven blocks, and Warren had five kills and four blocks. Skye Higashihara (Honolulu, HI/'Iolani School) handed out 23 assists and added 17 digs, while Hana Suzuki (Chattanooga, TN/East Hamilton High School) had 15 assists and two aces. Tullis led the back row with 19 digs. Smith outhit Babson .200 to .100 and held a 10-4 edge in aces and a 61-53 edge in digs. Devon Burke led the Beavers with 11 kills, and Hailey Fouche added 10 kills and four blocks.

Smith returns to action Tuesday, Sept. 29, at Springfield College at 7 p.m.

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.