Gophers Cruise to 13th Straight Victory over Gators

BALTIMORE, Md. — Goucher had won 16 consecutive sets against Notre Dame (Md.) dating back to 2011 after taking the opener in tonight's road matchup.

That streak came to an end in the following set. The Gophers (6-8), however, dominated the final two sets, dropping only 18 points to finish out a 3-1 (25-14, 23-25, 25-7, 25-11) victory.

Goucher has now won 13 straight matchups in the all-time series since a five-set victory for the Gators back in 2006.

Hannah Kuehl (Plymouth, N.H./Plymouth Regional) played a key role in the win, nothing 16 kills with a team-high .577 attack percentage. Erika DiPasquale (Paramus, N.J./Paramus), meanwhile, added a season-high eight aces to bring her total for the year up to 34.

Notre Dame (3-6) held a slim 8-7 lead to start the opening set. A kill from Corinne Kahler (York, Pa./York Country Day) began a run which saw Goucher take 11 of the next 13 points to take control. Val Kirsch (Westport, Conn./Staples) fired an ace to give the Gophers a 1-0 set lead.

The Gators led for a majority of the second set. Trailing 24-17, Goucher scored six consecutive points to make things interesting, but a Gopher attack error finally clinched the set at 25-23.

Goucher's late burst of momentum carried over into the following set. With DiPasquale serving, the Gophers rattled off eight points in a row, and a Michelle Tweedie (Accra, Ghana/Lincoln Community School) kill extended the advantage to 19-3. A Notre Dame attack error sealed Goucher's biggest set victory of the season.

The Gophers once again jumped out to an early lead in set four, winning 10 of the first 11 points. Kelly Budge (Harrington Park, N.J./Northern Valley Old Tappan) registered her 10th kill of the match to finish off the win.

As a team, Goucher managed a .271 attack percentage compared to .000 for the Gators. Kahler totaled a team-high 15 digs while Kirsch added 11 and DiPasquale 10. Sarah Johnson (Ridgewood, N.J./Ridgewood) chipped in a season-high 33 assists.

The Gophers now have four days off before traveling to Catholic for their Landmark Conference opener next Tuesday. That match is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m.