Gophers Take Down Blazers, Bow to Monarchs

HARRISONBURG, Va. — Goucher prevailed in the first of the two matches it was scheduled to play on the opening day of the Eastern Mennonite Invitational, sweeping a three-set match against in-state rival Hood this evening.

The Gophers weren't able to conquer their second opponent, however, as they bowed to Methodist, 3-0 (25-19, 30-28, 25-20).

Set scores in the first match were 25-18, 25-21, 25-20 in favor of head coach Kelli Wilkinson's squad.

Although Goucher had three fewer kills than Hood, it still finished with a higher attack percantage in each set due to fewer attack errors. The Gophers committed 13 attack errors in the entire match, which is just one more than the Blazers (1-2) had in the third set alone.

A service error at 15 serving 15 put Goucher ahead to stay in the opening set. The Gophers were down in the second set as late as 17-16 before winning seven of the next nine points to grab a 23-19 advantage.Kills by Corinne Kahler (York, Pa./York Country Day) and Hannah Kuehl (Plymouth, N.H./Plymouth Regional), both of which were set up by Sarah Johnson (Ridgewood, N.J./Ridgewood), gave them their final two points.

Kuehl was credited with 12 kills and johnson with 33 assists in the Methodist match. Meredith Johnson (Ridgewood, N.J./Ridgewood) added a team-high 17 digs.

For the Monarchs (3-0), Maggie Harris recorded 41 assists as Brittany Ter Meer and Cassidy Hayes finished with 13 and 11 kills, respectively.

The Gophers (1-2) conclude the tournament with two more matches Saturday. They'll take on Mary Baldwin at noon and Eastern Mennonite at 4 p.m.