Volleyball Upsets Kean; Earns Split at Goucher Invitational

TOWSON, Md. – The Gophers closed out play at the Goucher Invitational on a high note, as they defeated Kean in five-set thriller (25-17, 25-20, 19-25, 22-25, 15-10) at the Decker Sports & Recreation Center. The Cougars had entered the tournament with a 12-2 record this season.

Earlier in the day, Goucher (8-10) fell 22-25, 10-25, 23-25 to Lebanon Valley. The Gophers finish the tournament with an even 2-2 mark.

Senior Megan Chalk (Severna Park, Md./Severna Park) had 13 kills and a career-high 29 digs, eclipsing a record that had stood since her freshman year, in the nightcap. Tori Rain (Ellicott City, Md./Centennial) also had 13 kills to go along with 20 digs and a team-high three aces.

Addie Lanzarotta (Los Angeles, Calif./Culver City) set a new career-high with 12 kills, and she chipped in 12 digs as well. Hannah Kuehl (Plymouth, N.H./Plymouth Regional) added nine kills while Corinne Kahler (York, Pa./York Country Day) had 15 digs. The Gophers improved to 2-1 in five-set matches this season after managing only one such victory in 2012.

In its opening match this morning, Goucher had its hands full with Lebanon Valley (16-3), which was on a six-match winning streak entering the weekend. The Gophers kept things competitive in the first set, jumping out to a 10-7 lead. With the score tied at 15 apiece, the Dutchmen went on 7-1 run which would ultimately make the difference in the set.

After a difficult set, Goucher again had its opportunities in the third, scoring the first five points and eight of the first 10 overall. Lebanon Valley slowly battled back, taking its first lead at 23-22 and closing out the match with an ace from Rachel Moltz.

Chalk led the offense with 11 kills. Rain added a team-high 16 digs, while Sarah Johnson (Ridgewood, N.J./Ridgewood) and Meredith Johnson (Ridgewood, N.J./Ridgewood) each added 10, with Meredith setting a new season-high in the process.

The Gophers will remain at home in its next matchup at 7 p.m. on Wednesday night against Lancaster Bible. Goucher lost a tight five-set match to the Chargers when the teams met last season.