Volleyball Serves Up Sweep of Rosemont

Sept. 10 – TOWSON, Md. – Looking for their first victory of the 2016 campaign, the Goucher College volleyball program put together an all-around performance, defeating Rosemont College, 3-0, on Saturday afternoon.

The Gophers serving game was strong throughout the contest, posting 22 aces in the three-set match. Freshman setter Olivia Rhodes was at the center of it all, tallying 10, including six in the opening set.

Goucher dominated the Ravens from the opening play, taking set one by a 25-15 score. They then took set two, 25-22, before finishing off Rosemont 25-15 in the final set of the day.

Set one opened with the Gophers running out to a 6-2 advantage. Freshman Virginia Estes tallied the first ace of the afternoon on the opening point, which was followed by back-to-back kills from Jess Jameyson.

Leading by just one points, 6-5, the Gophers once again put together a run, using an 8-0 swing to push the score to 14-5. Rhodes posted four of her six aces in the set during the run, which forced a Raven timeout.

Rhodes would bookend the set with two more service aces, giving the Gophers a 25-15 victory to take a 1-0 lead.

The second set was the closest of the day, with Rosemont jumping out to a 5-2 advantage in the early stages. A 4-1 run by the Gophers pulled the game even, with the final point coming on an ace by Rachel Kieffer.

From there, the second set would see nine more ties, including the final one which stood at 22-22. After an attack error by the Ravens, Rhodes was at it again, serving two more aces to give Goucher the 25-22 win in the second stanza.

In what would prove to be the final set, the Gophers trailed briefly, 5-3, before an 8-0- run by the Gophers put the game in hand. Freshman Sarah Weeden was the aggressor in the run, stringing together five service aces in the ten-point swing.

The advantage in the final set would continue to grow, eventually reaching ten points on the final ace of the afternoon. The ace was once again served by Weeden, who finished with six in the closing set, giving the Gophers a 25-15 set win, and the match, 3-0.

Overall, Goucher finished with 22 aces, including a career-high 10 from Rhodes. Weeden added six to the mix, while Kieffer and Johnson finished with a pair. Jameyson added one; as did Estes.

Offensively, Rhodes finished the game with her first-career double-double, totaling 16 assists to go along with her ace total. Weeden cracked double-digit kills for the third time, totaling 11 while hitting .364. Jameyson, meanwhile, hit .333 on the day, totaling seven kills on 15 attempts.

Defensively, Goucher held Rosemont to a .000 hitting percentage, affording the Ravens just 13 kills on the day. Estes, Rhodes and Meredith Johnson all finished with five digs, with Weeden adding three.

The Gophers will return to the floor on Tuesday, September 13 as they travel to Winchester, Va. for a bout with Shenandoah University. The matchup with the Hornets is scheduled for a 7 p.m. start.