Gophers Drop Four-Set Battle to Lycoming

BALTIMORE, MD.- The Goucher volleyball team (6-12, 0-3 Landmark) showed energy in a hard-fought Landmark Conference matchup but ultimately came up short against Lycoming College (12-9, 1-3 Landmark), falling in four sets (20-25, 25-22, 17-25, 21-25) on Saturday afternoon.

The Gophers came out swinging, jumping to a 4-0 lead to open the match. Lucille Hendricks sparked the early run with a kill, followed by back-to-back service aces from Lucy Ingraham. A powerful block from Kanay Parham and AaShyah De Vries kept the momentum going before Lycoming settled in and edged ahead, 5-4. Goucher responded with another Hendricks kill and a service ace from Alex Jordan to stay within striking distance. A pair of kills from De Vries and another from Hendricks kept the Gophers close late, but the Warriors closed out the set 25-20.

In the second set, Goucher struck first once again. De Vries and Jordan each tallied kills, and Parham added another to put Goucher ahead 5-2. Lycoming tied things at 5-5, but the Gophers answered. Key points from Alex Dzhygit, Kelsi Hockaday, and a service ace from Athena Savick helped Goucher stay neck-and-neck. Tied at 18-all, the Gophers capitalized on back-to-back Lycoming errors before Liv DeBiasio stepped to the line and delivered two straight aces. Hendricks sealed the set with a decisive kill to even the match, 25-22.

The Warriors responded quickly in the third set, building a 4-1 lead before Parham sparked a Gopher run with a block at the net. Sofia Ortiz followed with an ace and a well-placed assist to Parham for a kill, tying the set at 4-4. Despite Goucher's strong start, Lycoming surged ahead with a 12-6 lead. The Gophers chipped away behind kills from DeBiasio and De Vries, but the gap proved too wide as Lycoming took the set, 25-17.

The fourth and final set saw both teams trade runs in a tense back-and-forth battle. Hendricks got Goucher on the board early, and Savick added an ace to give the Gophers a 6-4 lead. Lycoming responded with a six-point burst, but Goucher countered with a five-point run of their own, capped by a Hockaday kill to make it 13-11. The teams were tied again at 18-18 before Lycoming pulled ahead for good, using a late push to close out the set 25-21 — and the match.

Hendricks led the Gopher offense with 12 of the team's 32 kills. Jordan dished out 15 assists, while Ortiz added 13. Ortiz and Ingraham each tallied three service aces, and DeBiasio led the way in solo blocks.

The Gophers return to action on Monday, October 14, hosting a Landmark Conference matchup at the Decker Sports & Recreation Center. First serve is set for 7 p.m.