Gophers Battle but Can't Overcome Washington

Gophers Battle but Can't Overcome Washington
October 1, 2025
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CHESTERTOWN, MD.- Gophers go on the road today against Washington College (Md.) The Goucher volleyball team hit the road Tuesday, falling in straight sets to Washington College (Md.) in a non-conference matchup. Despite strong performances from several players, the Gophers were unable to gain enough momentum to overcome Washington College, dropping the match 25–19, 25–11, 25–11.

Goucher opened the first set with momentum, trading points early thanks to kills from Alex Dzhygit, Sofia Ortiz, and Kelsi Hockaday to tie the score at 3–3. The teams continued to battle back and forth, with Liv DeBiasio and Lucille Hendricks keeping Goucher close. A powerful kill by Maria Basantes brought the Gophers within two at 11–9, but Washington responded with a four-point run to stretch their lead. Basantes stopped the surge with another kill, and Hendricks followed with consecutive kills to keep the Gophers in contention. Despite a few errors from Washington that helped narrow the gap, Washington closed out the set, 25–19.
 
In the second set, a Washington service error gave Goucher early possession, but Washington quickly jumped ahead. The Gophers responded with offensive contributions from Dzhygit and Hockaday. Working out of system, DeBiasio set up Hendricks for a  kill, while Imani Ward added a spike off a set from Alex Jordan. However, Washington pulled away, capitalizing on Goucher errors to claim the set, 25–11.
 
The third set looked similar to the second, with Washington racing out to a 3–1 lead. Goucher tied it at 3–3 behind a kill from DeBiasio and a service ace from Madi Kraemer. DeBiasio added another point at the net, but Washington responded with a strong stretch to go up 8–4. Juliana Stoneberg made an impact off the bench with a kill assisted by DeBiasio, followed by another point from Hendricks. Goucher gained traction late with kills from Hendricks and Kanay Parham, but Washington sealed the match with another 25–11 win.
 
Hendricks was the leader in kills with eight of the Gophers' 23. Ortiz was the leader in digs with eight, followed closely by Kraemer with six. Ortiz led in assists with 11, and Jordan was second in assists with eight. 
 
The Gophers will return to action at home on Friday, October 3rd. Goucher will be hosting Wilkes University in the conference match-up at 7 pm.