Chalk's 22nd Kill Seals 3-2 Victory Over Wolverines

Gophers Fall to Cougars, Come Away with Split

DOVER, Del. — A kill by junior outside hitter Megan Chalk (Severna Park, Md./Severna Park) — her 22nd of the match — provided Goucher with the point it needed this afternoon to complete a 3-2 victory over Wesley.

The Gophers, however, could only come away from today's triangular with a split as they bowed to Kean, 3-0.

Freshman setter Sarah Johnson (Ridgewood, N.J./Ridgewood) picked up her 47th assist on Chalk's kill to end the fifth set of the 25-13, 26-24, 22-25, 23-25, 15-13 win over the Wolverines. In addition to her season-high total of 22 kills, Chalk supplied the Gophers with 14 digs.

One of Chalk's kills also put Goucher up 25-24 in the second set and the Gophers secured the clinching point on a service ace by freshman middle hitter Hannah Kuehl (Plymouth, N.H./Plymouth Regional).

The Wolverines (3-13) jumped out to a 7-2 lead in the decisive fifth set and head coach Michael Bossom's squad didn't catch up until a service ace by sophomore defensive specialist Ilana Schear (Teaneck, N.J./Teaneck) created a 12-12 tie. The Gophers also won the next two points with Schear serving, but Wesley stayed alive thanks to a service error that made the score 14-13, in Goucher's favor, but set the stage for Chalk's match-clinching kill.

It's the third time in her collegiate career that Chalk has surpassed 20 kills in a match.

The Cougars (10-4) defeated the Gophers 25-16, 25-19, 25-23.

Both teams recorded 23 kills in the three-set match and Goucher finished with a slightly better attack percentage (.074 to .063). Two areas where Kean held the upper hand were service aces (14-7) and team blocks (8.0-2.0).

The Gophers (4-11) enjoyed an early 3-0 lead in the second set, winning two of those points on kills by Chalk and senior middle hitter Sabina Smajlovic (Hartford, Conn./Miss Porter's School), but the Cougars went ahead to stay at 6-5.

In the third set, six straight points put Goucher ahead 22-20, but the only point the Gophers managed the rest of the way was on a kill by junior opposite hitter Tori Rain (Ellicott City, Md./Centennial).