Volleyball Splits Pair to Begin Johns Hopkins Tournament

BALTIMORE – Goucher kicked off play in the Greg Giovannazzi Memorial Tournament this afternoon with a 1-1 record, earning a split in the days' matches with a 25-17, 18-25, 25-22, 25-18 victory over North Carolina Wesleyan. Tori Rain had a career-high 21 digs, while Megan Chalk had 13 kills and 14 digs in the win.

Earlier in the day, the Gophers dropped a tight three-set affair to Johns Hopkins, which is coming off of back-to-back NCAA tournament appearances. The Blue Jays edged out Goucher 33-31, 25-20, 25-14 to pick up their first win of the season after three losses to top-10 teams. With the split, the Gophers move to 5-2 on the season.

Goucher gave Johns Hopkins everything it could handle in the opening set, with the Gophers scoring 30 points in a set for the first time since falling 32-30 to Penn St. Berks in the fourth set of a loss on Oct. 29, 2011. Ultimately, however, the Blue Jays were able to prevail, and they gradually wore down the Gophers in the final two sets.

Hannah Kuehl led Goucher with eight kills, while Rain added 12 digs and a pair of aces.

The Gophers recovered quickly against the Battling Bishops (0-4), with Rain and Chalk leading a string of strong performances. Sarah Johnson had 22 assists and a season-high 13 digs, while Addie Lanzarotta tied a season-high with nine kills. Corinne Kahler chipped in 11 digs for the Gophers.

Goucher edged out NC Wesleyan with a .088 attack percentage compared to .036 for the Battling Bishops. The Gophers drilled seven aces in the match, led by three apiece from Kahler and Rain.

Lanzarotta and Michelle Tweedie played strong defensively, with each assisting on four blocks.

The Gophers conclude play in this weekend's tournament with two more matches tomorrow. Goucher plays Lynchburg at 10 a.m., followed by a 2 p.m. matchup against Gwynned-Mercy. The Gophers were originally scheduled to play Cabrini in the morning, but a last-minute schedule change was made this afternoon.