NORTHAMPTON, Mass. — Smith College swept a pair of matches Saturday at Ainsworth Gymnasium, downing Worcester State 25-22, 25-16, 26-24 in the morning and Hamilton 25-22, 25-16, 25-20 in the afternoon to finish the Bonnie May Invitational 4-0 and move to 4-0 on the season.
Alison Chapin (Temecula, CA/Temecula Valley High School) was the constant across both matches, posting nine kills and two aces against Worcester State before leading all hitters with 13 kills, nine digs and a .333 clip against Hamilton. Skye Higashihara (Honolulu, HI/'Iolani School) ran the offense for 34 assists on the day and added 10 digs in the nightcap.
Against Worcester State, Smith hit .226 with 43 kills, nine aces and 44 digs. Addison Klunder (Los Angeles, CA/The Buckley School) was the most efficient hitter on the floor, converting eight of her 12 attempts for a .667 mark, and Uma Schulz (Riverwoods, IL/Deerfield High School) added seven kills. Trailing 15-14 in the opening set, the Bears reeled off a decisive run behind four Klunder kills and a Ruth Tullis (Edmond, OK/Oklahoma Christian School) ace, with Natalia Rossi (Mebane, North Carolina/Eno River Academy) closing it out on an ace at 25-22. Smith controlled the second from the outset, building a 13-7 cushion as Stella Jones (Harrisonburg, VA/Spotswood High School) contributed three kills, a solo block and the set-ending ace off the bench.
The third set was the only real resistance of the day. Worcester State pulled even at 24-24 on an Ella Duffy ace before a service error handed Smith set point, and Chapin ended it with a kill off a Higashihara set. Kaitlyn Anthony paced the Lancers with 10 kills and Beatrice Gamboa-Estrella added seven kills and nine digs. Worcester State fell to 0-3.
The Bears were sharper still in the afternoon, hitting .299 with just eight attack errors in 97 swings. Anna Feuer (Frederick, MD/Governor Thomas Johnson) turned in the most efficient night of the weekend with nine kills on 15 attempts (.600) and four blocks, while Sara Warren (Long Beach, CA/Sato) chipped in five kills and three block assists. The middle of the second set broke the match open when Maddie Hliboki (Valley Village, CA/Harvard Westlake) served three straight aces to turn a 12-9 lead into a 15-9 cushion, and Smith closed the frame on a 10-3 run.
Hamilton stayed within a point at 12-12 in the third before the Bears answered with a 7-1 push, capped by a Hana Suzuki (Chattanooga, TN/East Hamilton High School) ace and back-to-back Grace Jansen setting errors. Chapin ended the match with a block. Ayzlinn Trefren led the Continentals with 10 kills and Grace Seaman added seven kills and 10 digs. Hamilton dropped to 1-2.
Smith returns to action Friday, Sept. 11 against Clarkson at 2 p.m. at the Rochester Invitational in Rochester, N.Y.
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.
