Wilkes Tops Goucher in Four-Set Conference Clash

BALTIMORE, MD.- Goucher College (6-9) hosted the Wilkes Colonels (10-7) in their first conference match of the season.

The opening set was tightly contested, with early kills from Lucille Hendricks and service aces from Liv DeBiasio, Kelsi Hockaday, and Madi Kraemer keeping the score close. Wilkes tied the game at 7-7, but a kill by Alex Dzhygit, assisted by Alex Jordan, pushed Goucher ahead. The Colonels responded with a series of successful kills, pulling ahead 12-9. The Colonels keep adding to their score before Kanay Parham scores two consecutive kills. DeBiasio fought back with two more kills, but Wilkes maintained their momentum, scoring the final four points to take the set 25-17.

Wilkes jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the second set, but AaShyah De Vries stopped their run with a kill from Sofia Ortiz. Goucher capitalized on Wilkes' errors and a kill from Hendricks to build an 8-4 advantage. The Colonels responded with a three-point run, forcing a Goucher timeout. After a Wilkes block, Goucher answered with a kill from Parham and a service ace from Athena Savick to narrow the gap. Goucher continued to chip away with a kill from Imani Ward and a solo block from De Vries, closing the gap to 13-10. Despite strong efforts from Hendricks, Ward, and Dzhygit near the set's end, Wilkes held on to win 25-23.

The third set remained close throughout. Ward opened with two kills for Goucher, followed by another point from Hendricks after a Wilkes service error. De Vries recorded another block, tying the score at 6-6. Wilkes rallied with several strong swings, but Parham and Ward quickly answered back. The teams exchanged points until Jordan's service ace gave Goucher an 18-15 lead. Wilkes closed the gap to 20-19 after a four-point run, but kills from Dzhygit and Ward, plus a service ace from Savick, helped Goucher clinch the set 25-20.

Goucher started strong in the fourth set, with kills from Dzhygit, Hockaday, and De Vries giving them an early 6-3 lead. However, a Goucher attacking error allowed Wilkes to take control, going on a five-point run to lead 11-7. The Colonels extended their advantage to 17-11 before Goucher fought back with kills from Hockaday and Hendricks. Ultimately, Wilkes maintained their lead and closed out the set 25-15.

Hendricks led Goucher with 11 kills, while Ortiz contributed a team-high 17 assists, closely followed by Jordan with 15. Savick led the team with 19 digs and added three service aces. De Vries recorded three solo blocks.

Goucher returns to action on Saturday, October 3rd, hosting Moravian at noon,