Rally Against Unbeaten Cairn Falls Short for Gophers

TOWSON, Md. - The Goucher College women's volleyball team rallied from a 2-0 deficit to force a fifth set with unbeaten Cairn University, but the Highlanders held on for a 3-2 non-conference victory Tuesday night at the Decker Sports and Recreation Center.  Set scores were 26-24, 25-19, 19-25, 16-25, 15-12.

• Cairn (6-0) eked out a 15-12 lead in the first set.
• The Highlanders were serving for set point at 24-22 when Goucher (1-6) kills by Kailee Turner (Virginia Beach, Va. / Kempsville) and Olivia DeBiasio (Norristown, Pa. / Norristown) tied the set at 24-24.
• The hosts responded with the next two points to take a 1-0 lead.

• Cairn took control with five points in a row to build a 12-8 lead.
• Goucher got the lead to two, 19-17, on a Turner kill before three straight points by the guests made it 22-17.
• The Gophers got back within 22-19 before Cairn closed out the set with three in a row.

• Goucher raced out to a 7-2 lead following a service ace by Elizabeth Bobo (Milford, Pa./Delaware Valley).
• Cairn scored the next five points before a kill by Rachel Chapman (Rochester, N.Y./Churchville-Chili) halted the run.
• The hosts used a 6-1 run to build a 17-11 cushion.
• Back-to-back kills by Turner and Kerragyn Heacock (Marysville, Wash. / Marysville Getchell) closed out the set.

• Goucher again built an early lead, 5-1, after kills by Turner and Eden Adcock (Stratford, N.J./Sterling Regional).
• Leading 15-13, the Gophers used a 7-1 run that featured kills by four different players to go up 22-14.
• Lucy Hendricks (Fort Bragg, Calif./Fort Bragg) closed out the set with a kill to force the fifth.

• Goucher fell behind 7-4 before a 4-1 run capped by a Hendricks kill tied the fifth 8-8.
• Cairn responded with the next five points to go up 13-8.
• A three-point spurt by the Gophers that featured a Chapman kill and two Highlander attack errors pulled the hosts within two, 13-11.
• A Turner kill made it 14-12 as Goucher staved off match point before a Allison Barnes kill clinched it for Cairn.

• Turner led four Gophers in double digit kills with a career-best 17 on .316 hitting.  She also completed a triple-double with 28 assists and 13 digs.
• Hendricks and Bobo each notched 12 kills, with Bobo hitting .250.  Bobo added 11 digs.
• Heacock added 11 kills, while Chapman chipped in with eight.
• Nicole Kovach (New York, N.Y./Quest to Learn), who ranks in the top-10 nationally in digs per set, racked up 27 on the night.
• Rianne Nickerson (Corning, N.Y. / Corning-Painted Post) and Eniyah Rodriguez (Virginia Beach, Va. / Landstown) each posted 18 digs. 
• Riley Kocell (Waxhaw, N.C. / Cuthbertson) registered 29 assists and 10 digs.
• Goucher hit .150 as a team while Cairn hit .136.  
• The Gophers racked up season-highs in kills (69) and digs (110).  

• Goucher continues its homestand Thursday evening, hosting Hood in a 7 pm contest at the Decker Sports and Recreation Center.