*This recap has been updated to reflect the addition of the Gwynedd Mercy match*
BALTIMORE, Md. - The Hood College women's volleyball team defeated both opponents in a tri-match hosted by Goucher, sweeping the Gophers and pulling out a five-set comeback win against Gwynedd Mercy immediately following it.
Set Scores
The Blazers beat Goucher 25-14, 25-17, 25-19.
Hood stormed back against Gwynedd Mercy 20-25, 25-16, 19-25, 25-19, 15-10.
Inside the Box Score
Ann Ofoegbu (Falling Waters, W.Va./Spring Mills) led the Blazers with 30 kills across both matches.
Ainslee Barger (Poolesville, Md./Poolesville) ended the day with 48 assists.
Mary LeBlanc (Suffolk, Va/Stonebridge) racked up eight service aces in the two matches.
Alyssa Marshall (Baltimore, Md./Dundalk) had 13 digs against Gwynedd Mercy.
How it Happened - Goucher
The Blazers jumped out to an early 10-5 lead thanks to three points from LeBlanc, including back-to-back service aces, and cruised from then on, as more LeBlanc aces propelled them to an early 1-0 match lead.
Both teams traded leads early in the second set, but Goucher looked like they were going to tie things up after an 8-1 run put them ahead 14-10. Those hopes would not last long though, as Hood proceeded to dominate the rest of the way, scoring 11 of the next 14 points to put the hosts in danger of being swept.
Looking for their first sweep since their last tri-match, the Blazers maintained around a three-point lead for most of the set, getting to the midway point ahead 15-12. At that point, the girls completely swung the momentum in their favor, picking up eight of the next 10 points for a commanding 23-14 lead, and did not let the Gophers even consider coming back, adding both the set and the match into the win column.
How it Happened - Gwynedd Mercy
Despite a close fight in the first set, the Griffins were able to prevent Hood getting close enough to force extra rallies, putting them in an early 1-0 match hole.
The Blazers came back with a vengeance in set two, taking command early on and holding their lead seemingly with ease as they ultimately cruised to take the set and knot things back up at 1-1.
With it now being a best-of-three, every point mattered, and despite a lot of back-and-forth as both squads grappled for the lead, the Griffins were able to go on a run just good enough to put them out Hood's reach to take the third set and try to send the Blazers home with a loss.
Unfortunately for Gwynedd Mercy, Hood had no intention of leaving without a second win, as the Blazers managed to flip the score of the last set in their favor to force a decisive fifth set.
When the teams got going for the final set, it looked like Hood would get all this way for nothing, as the Griffins took an early 5-0 lead, forcing the Blazers to call a timeout. Whatever was said must have worked however, as they immediately scored seven of the next eight points to suddenly take the lead.and eventually switch sides ahead 8-6. After starting play on the other side of the court, Hood never let Gwynedd Mercy get closer, closing out the match with a 15-10 set five victory and completing their weekend sweep.
Up Next
The Blazers return home for their first conference match of the season against York College of Pennsylvania Wednesday, September 25 at 7 p.m.
