Bella Smuda

The Liberty University Women’s Basketball Headshots are Photographed on Media Day on September 4, 2024. (Photo By: Kendall Tidwell)

Class:
Redshirt Senior
Position:
C
Height:
6-6
Hometown:
Exton, Pa.
Prev School:
Downingtown East High School

2023-24 (R-Jr.)

First team All-CUSA
CUSA All-Defensive Team
CUSA All-Tournament Team
CUSA Player of the Week on Feb. 5
Betty Chancellor Classic All-Tournament Team
Set a Liberty single-season record with 222 defensive rebounds
Grabbed 340 total rebounds, ranking No. 4 in program history and the most by a Lady Flame since the 2011-12 season (Avery Warley)
Posted 18 double-doubles (No. 3 in program history and the most by a Lady Flame since Avery Warley had 19 in 2010-11)
First Lady Flame to average a double-double for a full season since 2011-12 (Avery Warley)
Blocked 77 shots (tied for No. 4 in program history and the most by a Lady Flame since Katie Feenstra in 2004-05)
Scored 509 points, becoming the first Lady Flame to post a 500-point season since 2012-13 (Devon Brown)
Scored in double figures in 15 straight games to end the season, helping Liberty win 12 of its final 15 contests. It was the longest streak of double-digit scoring efforts since Ashley Rininger notched 15 in a row spanning the 2014-15 and 2015-16 campaigns.
Finished with 22 points, 14 rebounds and six blocked shots against Towson on Dec. 4. It marked the most rejections by a Lady Flame since Dec. 21, 2014, when Ashley Rininger blocked six South Carolina shots
Blocked six more shots the very next game (Dec. 10 at No. 3 NC State)
Contributed 24 points and 12 rebounds to a Dec. 20 win over Grand Canyon
Posted new career highs for points (26) and rebounds (17) at Jacksonville State on Jan. 10, becoming the first Lady Flame with 25+ points and 15+ boards in a game since Jan. 11, 2020, when Keyen Green had 29 and 16 versus Jacksonville
Smuda’s 12 offensive boards at Jacksonville State were the most by a Liberty player since March 10, 2012, when Avery Warley had 14 vs. Charleston Southern.
Paced all players in points (22, including 12 in the fourth quarter) and rebounds (13) on Feb. 1 against New Mexico State
Two days later, scored a career-high 27 points (19 in the second half) versus UTEP
Became Liberty’s 21^st 1,000-point scorer during the third quarter of a Feb. 10 win at Louisiana Tech
Shot 10-of-11 (90.9) percent from the field during a 21-point effort in the March 9 regular-season finale at Western Kentucky. It tied for the third-highest single-game field goal percentage in program history.
Posted 21 points and 15 rebounds during the CUSA title game vs. Middle Tennessee on March 16. She was the first Lady Flame to record a double-double in a conference championship game since 2016 (Catherine Kearney – Big South), and her 15 boards were the most by a Lady Flame in a title game since 2011, when Avery Warley had 16 in the Big South final.
CUSA Commissioner’s Honor Roll member

2022-23 (R-So.)

Her team-high 50 blocked shots were the most by a Lady Flame since the 2014-15 season.
Her first of 12 double-digit scoring efforts came Nov. 23 at James Madison (team-high 12 points, seven rebounds)
Scored a team-high 13 points in 17 minutes against Limestone on Dec. 15
Finished with 15 points, eight rebounds, three blocks and two steals during a Jan. 8 home triumph over Jacksonville
Led the Lady Flames with 15 points at Jacksonville on Jan. 14, matching her season high against the Dolphins for the second time in seven days
Scored 14 points in 13 minutes during a Feb. 18 home victory over Queens
Closed out the year with 11 points and three blocks in 11 minutes, March 16 at Bowling Green ()
ASUN Academic Honor Roll member

2021-22 (R-Fr.)

Paced the Lady Flames with 34 blocked shots, the most by a Lady Flame in six years
Pulled down a team-high seven rebounds and blocked a career-high four shots at Navy on Nov. 27
Matched her career high with four blocked shots on Dec. 4 against High Point
Grabbed a team-high eight rebounds on Dec. 17 versus Grand Canyon. She also shot 4-of-4 for eight points.
Recorded a double-double (career-high 18 points, career-high 12 rebounds) against Lee on Dec. 30. She shot 10-of-12 from the foul line, setting career highs in both categories.
Posted 10 points against State on Jan. 8
Contributed 11 points and six boards to a Jan. 22 win at Central Arkansas
Finished with eight points, 11 rebounds and three blocks at Bellarmine (Feb. 3)
Notched nine points and six boards in 15 minutes during the regular-season finale at Kennesaw State on Feb. 26
ASUN Academic Honor Roll member

2020-21 (Fr.)

ASUN All-Freshman Team (unanimous selection)
Three-time Freshman of the Week (Jan. 18, Feb. 1 & Feb. 15), which was tied for the most of any conference player
Led the Lady Flames and ranked No. 5 in the ASUN with 29 blocked shots. That was the most blocks by a Liberty player since 2016-17 (Keyen Green).
Tallied 12 points and six rebounds at Virginia Tech (Nov. 28) in just her second collegiate game
Blocked three shots twice (Jan. 2 vs. Lipscomb and Jan. 9 at Kennesaw State)
Scored 13 points and grabbed seven rebounds in 15 minutes against North Alabama on Jan. 16
Averaged 13.5 ppg and 10.0 rpg during two home wins over Jacksonville (Jan. 30 & 31). She led the Lady Flames in both points (12) and rebounds (8) during the season opener. She then notched her first career double-double during the finale, consisting of 15 points and a career-high and Liberty Arena single-game record 12 boards.
Led the Lady Flames in points (31), rebounds (15) and blocks (3) in just 32 total minutes during two wins at Bellarmine (Feb. 13 & 14). She scored a career-high 16 points during the series finale and collected a key defensive rebound with 18 seconds remaining.
Totaled 15 points and eight rebounds against Shepherd (Feb. 21)
Reached double figures in her first Championship contest with 11 points versus (March 11)
ASUN Academic Honor Roll member

Prep

Graduated from Downingtown East High School
Scored over 1,000 points and grabbed over 1,000 rebounds as a four-year starter
First team all-state honoree as a senior, when she averaged 18.9 ppg, 11.4 rpg and 6.2 bpg
Ranked as the No. 13 post in the Class of 2020 by ESPN’s HoopGurlz
Daily Local News Player of the Year in both 2019 and 2020

Personal

Daughter of Jimmy and Gloria Smuda
Younger sister Ariana plays basketball at Southeastern
Birthday is May 9
Graduated with a bachelor’s degree in psychology in May 2024
Working toward a master’s degree in elementary education

Student-Athlete Q&A
What made Liberty University the right place for you to attend college/compete at the collegiate level?
I loved the Christian atmosphere, and felt as if God called me here.

Is there anything special you do pregame or postgame and why?
I like doing my hair and I always go get a Dunkin coffee if we are home.

Who in your life inspires you and why are they such an inspiration?
My dad inspires me because he taught me everything I know about everything. Faith, basketball, and so much more.

What is your most memorable athletic moment/accomplishment?
100 blocks was pretty cool.

If you picked your jersey/uniform number, why is that number important to you?
Proverbs 31! What it means to be a strong woman of God!

Do you have any relatives who are playing or have played college or professional sports? (Names, relation to you, what/where they played)?
My sister is playing basketball at SEU. This is her freshman year.

Favorite meal (breakfast/lunch/dinner) and what is that special meal?
I love all the food.

What is the first app you check on your phone each day?
The Alarm clock.

What is your favorite hobby outside of athletics?
Writing poetry! Playing guitar! Thrifting! Reading! Listening to music!

Who was your favorite athlete growing up?
Joakim Noah

What is your Go-To karaoke song?
Anything by Olivia Rodrigo.

What is your dream vacation spot and why?
Hawaii or Italy, both are just so pretty.