Gophers Prevail in Five-Set Match Against Bulldogs

Goucher Fashions 1-2 Record at Season-Opening Tournament

BALTIMORE, Md. – Goucher recovered to defeat DeSales in five sets today to finish with a 1-2 record at the season-opening Johns Hopkins Invitational.

In today's other match, the Gophers took the opening set from Johns Hopkins only to see the Blue Jays rally for a 22-25, 25-17, 28-26, 25-21 victory. On Friday, head coach Michael Bossom's squad fell to Edgewood 25-19, 19-25, 22-25, 25-14, 15-9.

Against DeSales, the Gophers were up two sets before the Bulldogs (2-2) came back to force a decisive fifth set. Set scores were 26-24, 25-22, 12-15, 16-25, 15-10.

Megan Smith (Honolulu, Hawaii/Long Beach Polytechnic), who became Goucher's all-time leader in kills during the next-to-last match of the 2008 season, was credited with 46 kills and 61 digs in the three matches this weekend. The senior outside hitter finished with 20 kills and a .362 attack percentage in the four-set match against the Blue Jays (2-0).

Claire Sauvage-Mar (New Delhi, India/American Embassy School) passed two players to move up to No. 3 all-time in assists at Goucher. The junior setter had 15 assists in Friday's five-set match against the Eagles (1-2), before supplying the Gophers with a total of 71 assists in today's two matches. The two players she passed as she boosted her career total to 1,476 assists were Janine Fulcher, who played at Goucher from 2000-03, and current teammate Catie Ditmore (Santa Barbara, Calif./Laguna Blanca).

Ditmore's totals in the three matches: 20 kills, 40 digs, 24 assists and nine service aces. She passed Shannon Towner (1995-98) and Laura Maggio (1999-2002) to settle into No. 3 all-time in service aces at Goucher.

The most digs any Goucher player had in any match this weekend were the 26 by freshman outside hitter/defensive specialist Ashley Fan (Ellicott City, Md./Centennial) against DeSales.

Smith and Ditmore both represented Goucher on the all-tournament team.