Gophers Nearly Take Down Spartans, End Streak

Gophers Nearly Take Down Spartans, End Streak

October 24, 2006 

TOWSON, MD — Goucher, down to its last chance to end a lengthy losing streak in Capital Athletic Conference matches, was leading 8-4 in the final game of tonight's best-of-five encounter with York in the Sports & Recreation Center.

Unfortunately, the Gophers couldn't put the Spartans away. Instead, York caught Goucher at 11-11 on a kill by Casi Brough and went on to defeat the Gophers, 3-2. Game scores were 22-30, 32-30, 30-26, 28-30, 15-12.

Goucher, which begins play in the new Landmark Conference in 2006-07, entered its final CAC match during the regular season having dropped 36 straight conference matches since a 30-28, 32-30, 30-17 triumph over Mary Washington on Oct. 5, 2001.

The Gophers (15-13, 0-7 CAC) committed only two attack errors in winning tonight's first game and they never trailed in the second game until the Spartans scored four straight points to go ahead 22-21. Goucher held off a game point at 29-28 with a kill by Catie Ditmore (Santa Barbara, CA/Laguna Blanca) and went ahead, 30-29, on a kill by Caitlin Davis (Baltimore, MD/Parkville).

York (20-10, 3-4 CAC), however, won the next three points, squaring the match at 1-1 on a kill by Amanda Clemens.

The Gophers overcame a 12-7 deficit to win the fourth game, gaining the final point on a kill by Davis.

Margaret Egiziaco (Valhalla, NY/Valhalla) and Megan Smith (Long Beach, CA/Long Beach Polytechnic) both supplied the Gophers with 22 kills in the five-game thriller. Together they also combined for 39 digs and five blocks. Sarah Kendall (North Plainfield, NJ/Rutgers Prep) was Goucher's leader in digs with 27 and Ditmore finished with 44 assists, one shy of her career-high total for a match.

Goucher was locked into being the No. 8 seed in the upcoming CAC championship tournament prior to tonight's match, but the Gophers' opponent in the quarterfinals was determined tonight when Marymount became the No. 1 seed with a 3-2 victory over Salisbury.