Smith College volleyball sweeps Endicott, advances in NCAA Division 3 tournament

Staff Report

Published: 11-21-2024 3:49 PM

It was a dominant start to the NCAA Division 3 Tournament for the Smith College volleyball team.

The Pioneers scored a convincing 25-18, 25-17, 25-21 sweep of Endicott College in the opening round of the tournament in a match played at Goldfarb Gymnasium in Baltimore, Md.

Smith improved to 31-6 overall on the season, winning the program’s first-ever NCAA Tournament match in the process.

The Pioneers jumped out to an early lead, and Abby Hunt capped the opening set with a powerful kill, securing the 25-18 win.

Endicott struggled to respond to Smith's front-row dominance, as Anna Feuer added a solo block in the second set before Hunt's back-to-back kills at set point closed the frame at 25-17.

Mia Etheridge's cross-court kill and a block by Abby Sweeney and Feuer ended the set at 25-21, completing the sweep.

Sweeney paced the offense with 11 kills and a block, while Hunt put down eight kills and two aces. Setter Taylor Gwynne recorded 29 assists, eight digs, and two block assists, andSarah Dankovich anchored the defense with 13 digs to go with two kills.

Amherst’s Amelia Beigel helped key Endicott (22-8) with four digs and a team-high two service aces.

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Smith advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament, where it will face Ithca College on Friday at 4:30 p.m. back in Goldfarb Gym. The regional, which is hosted by Johns Hopkins, will hold its final match with a spot in the quarterfinal round on the line Saturday at 5 p.m.