Gophers Earn First Win, Split at Alvernia Tri-Match

READING, Pa. - The Goucher College women's volleyball team split a pair of matches at the Alvernia University tri-match on Saturday.  The Gophers dropped a 3-0 decision to the host Golden Wolves before rebounding for a 3-2 win over Gwynedd Mercy in the nightcap.

• Set scores were 25-22, 25-21, 25-18.
• In the first set Goucher (1-2) used a 9-1 run to build a 16-9 lead.
• Trailing 17-14, Alvernia reeled off seven straight points to take a 21-17 lead.
• Kailee Turner (Virginia Beach, Va./Kempsville) led Goucher with 11 kills on .292 hitting.
• Riley Kocell (Waxhaw, N.C./Cuthbertson) handed out 14 assists, while Nicole Kovach (New York, N.Y./Quest to Learn) notched 13 digs.
• Alvernia hit .273 for the match while limiting the Gophers to .129 hitting.

• Set scores were 22-25, 27-25, 25-20, 11-25, 15-9.
• Goucher led 20-15 late in the second set before the Griffins (1-1) chipped away and tied the set 24-24.
• The Gophers trailed 25-24, but staved off set point and a Sarah Ferguson (Mullica Hill, N.J. / Clearview Regional) kill made it 26-25.
• Lucy Hendricks (Fort Bragg, Calif. / Fort Bragg) recorded a service ace to close out the set.
• The fifth set was tied 8-8 when three straight points sparked by a Ferguson kill put Goucher on top 11-8.
• Goucher scored the final four points of the match and back-to-back Eden Adcock (Stratford, N.J. / Sterling Regional) kills closed things out.
• Adcock recorded a team-high 12 kills, while Rachel Chapman (Rochester, N.Y./Churchville-Chili) hit .261 and added 10.
• Kerragyn Heacock (Marysville, Wash. / Marysville Getchell) chipped in with nine kills.
• Kovach racked up 30 digs and notched five service aces, while Rianne Nickerson (Corning, N.Y. / Corning-Painted Post) added 20.
• Kocell recorded 23 assists, with Turner finished with 15.

• Goucher's 11 service aces in the nightcap were a season high and the most in a match since last September 25 against Cairn.
• Adcock has finished with double-digit kills in two of the first three matches of the season.

• Goucher is back in action Friday, September 9, when it travels to Stevenson to open the Stevenson Quad-Match at 6 pm.
• The Gophers return home on Tuesday, September 13 when they host Cairn in a 7 pm match at the Decker Sports and Recreation Center.