A Rocky Start for the Pioneers This Semester

Brigit McDannell ’18
Sports Editor

The Smith Pioneers began the school year with mixed success. The fall student athletes played with valor, but they struggled to bring in wins. The volleyball team lost 3-0 to undefeated Clark College in the New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) opener for both teams on Sept. 15. However, Julia Voorhes ’17 played very well and stands 32 digs shy of 1,000. She is currently averaging a career-best 4.92 digs per set and is fourth in the NEWMAC. She was named Athlete of the Week due to her great performance with 20 digs for the third time in a row. Smith entered the week holding Clark to a 0.087 hitting percentage, fourth in the NEWMAC and 39th overall in Division III.
In soccer, Jordan Isaacs ’18 scored her third goal of the season. A final-minute, potential game-winning shot was unfortunately blocked as the Smith College Soccer Team battled Clark to a 1-1 stalemate in the NEWMAC opener for both teams. Smith almost held all three points with the match at the death.  Isaacs ran onto a loose ball and, with her skillful footwork, managed to escape a pair of defenders. But Clark’s Caitland Baxter preserved the deadlock and deflected her final shot with 58 seconds remaining toward the midfield. With the draw, Smith moves to 3-2-2 on the season while Clark stands at 2-3-2.  The Pioneers maintain a slim 10-9-4 lead.
The field hockey team played a difficult game against the Middlebury Panthers, who are ranked fourth in the NEWMAC, which ended in a 5-1 loss Sept.14. The Panthers maintained a 5-0 lead in the first half. Julia Hamilton ’18 made her first goal of the season at 3 minutes and 20 seconds into the second half, and the Pioneers managed to controlled possession over the final 35 minutes. On Sept. 16, the team lost again to Connecticut College 1-0.
In tennis, the Pioneers lost to Babson College 9-0 in the NEWMAC match. With the strong victory, Babson improved to 6-0 overall, 3-0 in NEWMAC play while Smith fell to 1-2, 0-2 in Conference. At present, only nine players are listed on Smith’s tennis roster.