WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Catholic women's volleyball team defeated Goucher 3-0 in a Landmark Conference contest on Wednesday night, putting together a ruthlessly efficient offensive performance. The Cardinals hit .311 for the match, sweeping the Gophers 25-6, 25-18, 25-18. 

Senior Brittany Connatser led the way with 11 kills on just 22 swings, registering zero attack errors to hit .500 for the match. Freshman Halie Murphy wasn't far behind with 10 kills on 25 swings, hitting .360 for the match and registering another double-double with 10 digs. 

The Cardinals wasted no time making their presence felt, hitting .500 in the first set and scoring the first eight points of the match. Catholic outscored Goucher 13-2 down the stretch of the first set for a dominant first set win. Connatser had five of her 11 kills in the first set while Murphy got off to a strong start with a trio of service aces. 

After Catholic took a 9-4 lead in the second set, Goucher fought back with seven straight points to take an 11-9 lead. Goucher led the set 17-14 before Catholic scored 11 of the final 12 points to win it 25-18. Sophomore Grace Guerin's kill tied the match at 17 before a pair of Goucher attack errors gave Catholic the lead. The Gophers got one back to make it 19-18, but the Cardinals took the next six points, getting three kills from Connatser, a kill from junior Olivia Blondin, and another kill from Guerin to take the set. 

Catholic took an 8-3 lead in the third set, getting three kills and a block from Blondin in the early going. The Gophers cut it to 17-15 before another strong stretch from the Cardinals finished it out as Murphy had three kills in four points to take a 21-16 lead, ultimately closing out the match. 

This is the fourth match this season in which Catholic has hit over .300. With her 11 kills, Connatser now sits 11 kills shy of 300 for the season and is closing in on 550 for her Catholic career in less than two full seasons. The Cardinals also earned their sixth 3-0 victory over the 2022 season. Three Cardinals tallied 10 digs on the night, Blondin, Murphy, and sophomore Brynne Burgess.

Catholic travels to Bridgewater (Va.) on Saturday for a tri-match with Hood.