NORTHAMPTON, Mass. — The Smith College volleyball team opens the 2026 campaign Friday, Sept. 4, when Ainsworth Gymnasium hosts the fifth annual Bonnie May Invitational, a two-day, five-team event welcoming Colby-Sawyer, Bridgewater State, Worcester State and Hamilton to Northampton. The Bears, picked fourth in the NEWMAC preseason poll, play four matches across the weekend beginning with a 5 p.m. first serve against Colby-Sawyer.
Honoring a Legacy
The tournament carries the name of Bonnie May, who spent 40 years at Smith as a coach and administrator before retiring in June 2021. May took over the volleyball program in 1980 and guided Smith into the NCAA in 1981, making Smith the first women's college to join the association. She won 530 matches on the volleyball court, led the Bears to three NCAA Championship appearances and 11 ECAC Tournaments, and captured the program's first ECAC title in 1997 and the NEWMAC Tournament championship in 2005. Her 1988 squad went 41-4, still the best record in program history. May also won 333 games as Smith's softball coach and earned Coach of the Year recognition three times in the NEW8 and once each from the NEWMAC and the Division III New England Women's Volleyball Association.
Smith College
Head coach Greg Walker's squad returns six seniors and roughly two-thirds of its offensive production from a 2025 season that ended 19-12 overall and 7-4 in the NEWMAC, with the Bears earning the No. 4 seed in the conference tournament before falling to Coast Guard in the quarterfinals at Ainsworth. Smith went 10-5 at home a year ago, out-hit its opponents .225 to .141 and held decisive edges in aces (264-183) and total blocks (249.0-143.5). The Bears also swept all four matches at last year's Bonnie May Invitational.
Mia Etheridge (Half Moon Bay, CA/Half Moon Bay) headlines the senior class after a NEWMAC First Team and AVCA All-Region II Honorable Mention season, leading Smith with 237 kills (3.16 per set) on a .258 clip while adding 165 digs and 32 aces. Addison Klunder (Los Angeles, CA/The Buckley School) ranked third on the team with 165 kills and second with 185 digs, Anna Feuer (Frederick, MD/Governor Thomas Johnson) paced the Bears with 99 total blocks and 27 solo stuffs, and Ruth Tullis (Edmond, OK/Oklahoma Christian School) led the team with 217 digs and a .923 reception percentage. Alison Chapin (Temecula, CA/Temecula Valley High School) was second on the roster with 183 kills at a .249 rate, setter Skye Higashihara (Honolulu, HI/'Iolani School) distributed 516 assists (5.38 per set) with 169 digs, Uma Schulz (Riverwoods, IL/Deerfield High School) posted the best hitting percentage among regulars at .328, and Maddie Hliboki (Valley Village, CA/Harvard Westlake) led Smith with 41 aces and added 171 digs. Five first-years join the roster, including 6-2 Nola Gannon (Dallas, Texas/Townview TAG) and 6-1 Kate Nordyke (Dallas, Texas/Ursuline Academy of Dallas) in a front row that already features the 6-4 Feuer and 6-2 Schulz.
Colby-Sawyer College
The Chargers finished 11-16 in 2025 and reached the Great Northeast Athletic Conference quarterfinals for the second consecutive year, dropping a 3-0 decision at No. 2 seed Lasell as the No. 7 seed. Kamryn Brakemeier, Bree Bacon and Brenna Piller were among the primary contributors in that quarterfinal. Colby-Sawyer is the only GNAC representative in this year's field and draws both Smith and Bridgewater State over the two days.
Bridgewater State University
Bridgewater State went 17-5 in 2025 with a perfect 8-0 mark in the MASCAC, claimed its second straight conference tournament title — the 12th in program history — and advanced to the NCAA Division III Tournament for the second consecutive season. Tony daSilveira was named MASCAC Coach of the Year for the second year in a row. Tournament MVP Lily Welch and Ava Crane both earned All-MASCAC first team honors, while Charlotte Sullivan was a second team pick. Welch turned in a career-high 19 kills with 15 digs and four blocks in the championship match. Smith swept Bridgewater State 3-0 at last year's Bonnie May Invitational.
Worcester State University
Bernie Chase enters his 22nd season leading the Lancers, who went 10-21 overall and 4-3 in the MASCAC in 2025 while making a run to the conference semifinals. Worcester State upset No. 4 seed MCLA in the quarterfinals before pushing top-seeded Bridgewater State to five sets in the semifinal round. Katherine Crateau was named 2025 MASCAC Defensive Player of the Year, and the Lancers return senior Michelle Iannacito and junior Beatrice Gamboa-Estrella among a group of experienced contributors.
Hamilton College
The Continentals finished 7-12 overall and 1-9 in the NESCAC in 2025, with their conference win coming in a three-set sweep of Trinity in October. Grace Seaman posted season highs of 13 kills and 10 digs in that match, while Kathryn Fox added front-row production and Caitlin Allen ranked fifth in the NESCAC at 1.10 blocks per set.
Tournament Schedule
Friday, Sept. 4
- 5 p.m. — Smith vs. Colby-Sawyer (Ainsworth Gymnasium)
- 7 p.m. — Smith vs. Bridgewater State (Ainsworth Gymnasium)
Saturday, Sept. 5
- 10 a.m. — Smith vs. Worcester State (Ainsworth Gymnasium)
- 10 a.m. — Colby-Sawyer vs. Bridgewater State (Scott Gym)
- Noon — Colby-Sawyer vs. Hamilton (Ainsworth Gymnasium)
- Noon — Bridgewater State vs. Worcester State (Scott Gym)
- 2 p.m. — Smith vs. Hamilton (Ainsworth Gymnasium)
How to Watch
All matches in Ainsworth Gymnasium will be streamed live on FloSports, with live stats available at GoSmithBears.com.
Up Next
Smith travels to the Rochester Invitational on Sept. 11-12 for matches against Clarkson, host Rochester, Penn College and Alfred.
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.
