Senior class leading Smith College women’s volleyball to another historic season

NORTHAMPTON — On Friday, Smith College women’s volleyball got a look at what it’s going to take if they want to make a long run in the NCAA Tournament in November.

The Bears hosted their toughest opponent of the season to date, Wesleyan, in a match that went the full five sets. The Cardinals entered the day ranked 10th in the NCAA Power Index (NPI) and 13th in the American Volleyball Coaches Association poll (AVCA).

After dropping the first set, Smith bounced back to win sets two and three, both by identical, 25-19, scores. Wesleyan didn’t crumbled despite being down. The Cardinals made very few errors the rest of the way, winning the last two sets to beat Smith, 3-2.

“I don’t know how many unforced errors we gave up out of the gates,” Smith College head coach Greg Walker said. “Wesleyan basically plays error free for long stretches.”

Sophomore Alison Chapin hit 27 kills on the evening, most on either team. Smith lost the final set by two points, almost taking down one of the best teams in the country.

“I think we set the intention before the game to be relentless and to fight trough every point,” Chapin said. “I think we stuck to that, even in moments where we were down by a few points.”

With a record now at 21-3 and tied for first in the NEWMAC, the Bears have higher aspirations than just making the conference and national tournaments.

“I look at this game and this is the team that if you want to make an Elite Eight you have to go through,” Walker said.

It’s goals like that Smith College could not have imagined a decade ago. But under Walker, the program has become a consistent winner in his six seasons at the helm.

The Bears are lead by a group of six seniors that have seen their fair share of success and disappointments in Northampton. After winning the NEWMAC title and reaching the second round in the NCAA Tournament in 2024, a disappointing 19-12 finish left a scar the team carried into 2026.

 ”Last year did not go how we wanted it to” senior co-captain Mia Etheridge said. “And I think in the spring the underclassmen really took the time to build. And then now this year it’s kind of like this kind of feels like what we’ve earned.”

While this is the first year the team is ranked in recent years, the Bears knew early on they had a special team. After a ranked win over Babson followed with a victory over rival Springfield College, they could see 2025 was in the rearview mirror.

Whereas everything came together for the program at the right time in 2024, this year’s seniors feel their four years have prepared them for one more run.

“ And it just feels more spread out, like less like stars have aligned,” senior co-captain Ruth Tullis said. “We’re doing it in more intentionally of we’re putting in the really hard work. Everyone just has to do their jobs.”

What started out as six different individuals who could barely spend 15 minutes together for Wednesday dinners, now has become a group that spends hours together outside of volleyball and makes life easy for Walker.

 ”I lean on all of our captains for being, kind of the sounding board of that, of like constantly just holding that standard,” Walker said. “It’s been great. And I mean, I love our, I love our senior group and our captains.”

Before Walker arrived in Northampton, Smith College’s record was 38-125 over the previous 10 seasons. In the six seasons at the helm, Walker has flipped the program around to a record of 129-56 with five appearances in the NEWMAC conference tournament.

Walker arrived after working as an assistant coach at the University of Southern California, helping turn around the Trojan’s program. While he looked at multiple Division 1 head coaching jobs, a call from a mentor brought his attention to a small woman’s college in Western Massachusetts he hardly heard of.

The athletic department said it would provide Walker the resources he needed to build a successful program, while the Division 1 programs wanted quick fixes without the necessary backing.

Walker believes the last two years have prepared the seniors for this season.

 ”I think the bitter taste of how last season ended, and they experiencing what it meant to win a NEWMAC title,” he said. “Like they get it. They came in this year, and they were really hungry for, like attention to detail, like super like intentional in everything they’re doing.”

In addition to Tullis and Etheridge, Anna Feuer, Addison Klunder, Ruby Woodward, and Olivia Mendoza have grown through their four years at Smith. While Walker knows how to find great volleyball players, his goal is to allow his teams to develop leaders organically. By the time the freshman become the seniors, they are able to show the next class what it takes to be successful.

 ”I’m proud of like the tone that we’ve set, because then it makes it easier for like other teams to come in and feel the like, that they’re supported, Tullis said. “We’re here to be there for each other, and it’s a family. So I’m just really proud of the culture and like what we’re gonna leave, and I want it to continue, and I know it will.”