WENHAM, Mass. — Gordon Volleyball dropped only one set on its way to a tri-match sweep of Commonwealth Coast Conference foe Curry and non-conference opponent Worcester State. The Fighting Scots blanked Curry in the opener and fended off a Lancer rally in the finale to beat Worcester State 3-1. The Lancers swept Curry in the other match of the day.
With the two wins, Gordon improves to 18-9 on the season and 5-2 in the CCC. Worcester State inches up to 10-15 on the season, while Curry falls to 10-13 and 2-5 in conference play.
Gordon 3 – 0 Curry
Gordon controlled the Colonels throughout in the opening match of the day. The Fighting Scots dropped only 23 points between the first and second sets, before the Colonels made things interesting in the third at 25-19.
The Scots outscored the Colonels 51-18 and held a 37-12 advantage in kills in the three-set match.
Nicole Rice (Woburn, Mass.) and Nicole Grambley (No. Attleboro, Mass.) led the Colonels with four kills apiece in the loss. Makayla Hughes (Franklin, N.H.) had seven assists, while Rice contributed five total blocks—four solo. Hughes, Grambley and Courtney Carroll (Fairhaven, Mass.) each grabbed double-digit digs.
Gordon was led by Carleigh Petersen (North Hill, Calif.) with 13 kills, continuing her string of games leading the Scots in that category. Jenna Labbadia (Berlin, Conn.) and Meghan Hokanson (Coon Rapids, Minn.) also had efficient games with high hitting percentage numbers. Maggie Risma (Hudson, Ohio) added 20 digs and Renee Cooprider (Hopkinton, Mass.) put up 29 assists. Risma also led the Scot with five service aces.
Worcester St. 3 – 0 Curry
The Lancers also handled the Colonels in the second match of the day. Led by the swing of senior Jennifer Cabral (Swansea, Mass.), Worcester State was able to sneak past the Colonels in each of the first two sets before running away with the third.
Cabral had a game-high 15 kills to only five errors for the Lancers and also contributed 12 digs on defense. She was instrumental in the first set as the Lancers erased a 22-20 deficit and won the final five points to set the tone for the remainder.
Meghan Deighan (Lynnfield, Mass.) and Emily Carens (Northboro, Mass.) each had eight kills—the former doing so without committing a single error in the match. Libero Elexi Miskiv (Centerville, Mass.) played well in the back for the Lancers with 24 digs and setter Jamika Townsend (Virginia Beach, Va.) set up 36 kills.
Rice and Grambley led the Colonels for the second consecutive match, scoring seven kills each. Grace Stafford (West Yarmouth, Mass.) also did well with six kill. Alyssa Keeney (Coventry, Conn.) put up 18 assists in the defeat.
Gordon 3 – 1 Worcester St.
The Scots were able to keep the Lancers at arms length over the first two sets, winning 25-21 and 25-16. Gordon looked on its way to a second straight sweep, but Worcester State battle back from elimination in the third set.
Gordon's lead remained between three points and six points for much of the set until a late run by the Lancers. With the Scots lead 20-17, Worcester State called a timeout and made a rally as a direct result. The Lancers won eight of the final 10 points, including four in a row to end it and forced a fourth set.
The Fighting Scots led by as many as six in the final set and never trailed. Worcester State made things interesting by closing the gap to 24-22, but a kill by senior Jess Burdick (Brewerton, N.Y.) effectively ended things on Senior Day.
The Lancers offered a more spread attack in their second match of the team, but Cabral still led with 12 kills. Deighan and Carens also had solid games on the outside with seven and six kills respectively. Townsend sent out 31 assists, while Kaylee Leduc (Swansea, Mass.) picked 21 digs.
Gordon's offense was led by a quartet of players, including Petersen, Labbadia and Hokanson. Hokanson led all players with 14 kills. Burdick also had her strongest game of late with nine kills and a .304 hitting percentage. Risma and Petersen tied for the team lead with 19 digs and Renee Cooprider set 44 dimes. (Recap courtesy of Gordon College Sports Information)
