WENHAM, Mass.—A furious rally came just short as Gordon Volleyball fell to regionally ranked Rivier at the Bennett Center on Wednesday evening. The Fighting Scots fell behind by two sets and came within two points of extending the match to a fifth game before succumbing to the Raiders 13-25, 15-25, 25-18, 23-25.
The Fighting Scots drop their fourth consecutive match and dip below .500 at 11-12 for the first time since the beginning of the year. Rivier keeps its strong 2016 campaign going, improving to 23-3 overall. The Raiders currently sit 12th in the New England region during the first installment of the regional rankings on Wednesday.
Things got out to a rocky start for the hosts, as Rivier's offense came out of the gates clicking. The Raiders hit an eye-popping .310 as a team in the opening set, led by senior middle hitter Lauren Silverman (Chelmsford, Mass.). On the other side, Gordon struggled to find any rhythm with the imposing Rivier defense making things tough. The Raiders led by as many as 13 points in the opening set before winning 25-13.
Gordon fought back in the middle stages of the second set after Rivier ran out to another large advantage, but a 7-0 run toward the end of the game put the Raiders up by two sets.
The Fighting Scots offense awoke in the third set and battled to a 13-12 lead at the midway point. With Jenny Curtiss (Larkspur, Colo.) serving, Gordon rattled off five consecutive points and never allowed the Raiders to get close than two points for the remainder of a 25-18 victory.
The fourth set was a grind for both teams with neither team holding more than a three-point advantage at any point. It was the Fighting Scots who held the 23-20 with their sights on forcing a final set. However, a Rivier timeout reset the focus for the Raiders and they were able to run the table with five straight points to end things in four sets.
Silverman had an impressive night with 18 kills to only four hitting errors. Dana Mott (Medway, Mass.) was a force down the stretch with 13 kills and a .290 hitting percentage for the match. Molly McCormack (Ballston Lake, N.Y.) led the defense with 24 digs, while Hayley Macken (Clifton Park, N.Y.) and Bethany Trevino (Westminster, Colo.) both turned in double-digit dig nights. Macken also dictated the Raider offense with 39 assists, while Silverman was a part of nine different blocks.
For the Scots, Carleigh Petersen (North Hills, Calif.) and Mackenzie Hinds (Higganum, Conn.) both overcame tough starts to post double-digit kills with 12 and 10 respectively. Renee Cooprider (Hopkinton, Mass.) set up 32 kills, while Maggie Risma (Hudson, Ohio) had arguably her best night on defense with 28 digs.
Gordon will look to reset with a trip to Salve Regina on Saturday. Rivier heads home for a tri-match with Mount Ida and Simmons.
