NORTHAMPTON, Mass. — Smith College opened the 2026 season with a pair of wins on the first day of the fifth annual Bonnie May Invitational on Friday at Ainsworth Gymnasium, hitting a scorching .427 in a 25-12, 25-21, 25-17 sweep of Colby-Sawyer before outlasting Bridgewater State 25-15, 25-21, 20-25, 20-25, 18-16 in the nightcap.
The afternoon sweep was as clean as it gets. The Bears put down 47 kills on 96 swings and committed just six attack errors as a team, and four hitters finished above .440. Uma Schulz (Riverwoods, IL/Deerfield High School) was the most efficient of the group at .583 with eight kills on 12 attempts, while Addison Klunder (Los Angeles, CA/The Buckley School) (nine kills, .538) and Alison Chapin (Temecula, CA/Temecula Valley High School) (nine kills, .533) led the way in volume. Mia Etheridge (Half Moon Bay, CA/Half Moon Bay) added eight kills at .444 and a pair of service aces, and Skye Higashihara (Honolulu, HI/'Iolani School) and Hana Suzuki (Chattanooga, TN/East Hamilton High School) split setting duties with 16 and 12 assists. Smith led wire to wire in the opener, held off Colby-Sawyer's only real push in a second set that featured seven ties, and closed the match on a Kamryn Brakemeier attack error.
The evening match against Bridgewater State was the opposite kind of test. Smith took the first two sets behind a balanced attack, but the visitors answered with 20-25 and 20-25 wins to force a decider. In a match that produced 30 ties and 12 lead changes, the Bears fell behind 11-7 in the fifth and then closed on an 11-5 run. Anna Feuer (Frederick, MD/Governor Thomas Johnson) and Nola Gannon (Dallas, Texas/Townview TAG) combined to stuff Ava Crane for the 12-12 tie, Etheridge's kill off a Natalia Rossi (Mebane, North Carolina/Eno River Academy) set put Smith back in front, and Schulz's kill from Klunder made it 17-16 before a Kesmyn Alves attack error ended it.
Chapin led the Bears against Bridgewater State with nine kills and 10 digs, Etheridge added eight kills, eight digs and two aces, and Feuer was a wall at the net with 10 total blocks — one solo and nine assisted. Higashihara posted a double-double with 23 assists and 13 digs, Suzuki chipped in 10 digs and six assists, and Gannon recorded five block assists. Smith out-blocked Bridgewater State 12-2 and out-dug the Bears 61-57.
Up Next
Smith continues the Bonnie May Invitational on Saturday at Ainsworth Gymnasium, hosting Worcester State at 10 a.m. and Hamilton at 2 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.
