Volleyball Earns Split on Senior Day

TOWSON, Md. – Goucher College's volleyball team split a pair of matches on senior day in nonconference action against Marywood and Hood. Against Marywood, the Gophers fell in five sets (27-25, 16-25, 25-21, 19-25, 15-9). Goucher bounced back in the second match, winning 3-1 (25-18, 25-19, 25-27, 25-12) against Hood.

Against Marywood, freshman Sarah Weeden and junior Kelly Budge led the Gophers in total kills with 21 and 18 apiece. Freshman Olivia Rhodes guided the offense with 37 assists and added eight digs. The Gophers defense was managed by Weeden with 16. Budge added 15 and freshman Olivia Rhodes totaled 13.

Goucher (2-13) finished with 50 kills in the match, compared to 45 for the Pacers (8-15), but committed 20 more attack errors (40-20). Marywood hit .180 while the Gophers finished with a .060 hitting percentage.

In the first set, Goucher never held the lead, and looked to be in danger of dropping the first set when the Pacers went ahead 23-20. Kills by Rhodes and Budge put the Gophers within 23-22. With the game tied once more at 25-25, Budge gave the Gophers the lead at 26-25 with a kill. The Gophers secured the win after the Pacers committed an attacking error.

The Gophers second set featured back and forth playing, but could not answer the Pacers offensive threat, falling 25-16.

Goucher bounced back in the third, though. Leading 12-11, a Weeden ace, and a Rhodes kill, along with an attack error by the Pacers, forced a Marywood timeout at 15-12. The Gophers stretched the lead out to as much as seven, 23-17 but the Pacers would answer back with a 4-1 run to get with three, 24-21. A kill by sophomore Jess Jameyson closed the set.

Marywood fought back, winning the fourth set 25-19, tying the match 2-2.

After taking a 3-1 lead in the fifth and final set, the Gophers saw Marywood end the set on a 14-6 run to win 15-9, and win the match 3-2.

In the nightcap, the Gophers (3-13) held Hood to a .137 hitting percentage, including a 0.43 percentage in the fourth set. Goucher racked up 42 kills and 35 digs as a team.

Weeden led all players with 19 kills while hitting .317. She also had seven service aces and four digs. Budge added 10 kills, four aces, and seven digs. Rhodes dished out 36 assists.

In game one, the Gophers took control early, and used a 13-8 run to close out the first set, winning 25-18.

Much like the first set, Goucher jumped out to an early lead in set two, leading by as much as six, when senior Malia Bruce fired off two straight aces to go up 16-10. Hood would battle back, getting within three 16-13. Goucher used a 9-6 run to close out the second frame 25-19.

The third set featured 12 ties and five lead changes. Tied at 25, Hood took the lead after a ball handling error by the Gophers, and a kill from Elena Zinaich sealed the victory, and force a fourth set.

The Gophers then started the fourth set on a 10-3 run, and Goucher never drew within more than five points during the duration of the set.

Goucher will host Immaculata in a nonconference game on Wednesday, Oct. 12 at 7 p.m. in the Decker Sports and Recreation Gymnasium.