March 1, 2003

Box Score

FAIRFAX, VA ... Freshman Matt Steinfurth (Portsmouth, VA/Woodrow Wilson) recorded a match- and career-high 13 kills, hitting .750, to lead the George Mason University men's volleyball team over Juniata College, 3-0 (30-24, 30-18, 30-24), in the John Linn Memorial Gym on Saturday evening. The Patriots win their fourth straight match, and ninth of their last 10, to remain undefeated in the Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association (EIVA) Tait Division.

The Patriots improve to 10-6 overall and 8-0 in the conference, while the Eagles, ranked first in the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Division III Coaches Poll, fall to 8-6 overall and 3-6 in the EIVA.

George Mason dominated both offensively and defensively, outhitting Juniata .325 to .068 and outblocking them 13 to 5.5. Senior James Claney (Northbrook, IL/Glenbrook North) led the defense with a match-high nine blocks, while sophomore Dave Egan (Toronto, Canada/Senator O'Connor) added six. Claney's nine blocks moves him into third place in George Mason all-time history with 453 career blocks - just one block out of second place.

The Patriots jumped out to an early 5-0 lead in game one, scoring three points on consecutive Eagle attack errors. George Mason sustained their lead, with Steinfurth contributing a game-high five kills, error-free, and Claney adding a game-high three blocks. A kill followed by an ace by sophomore Felix Campos (Puerto Nuevo, Puerto Rico/Colegio San Antonio) gave the Patriots game point. Juniata held off George Mason with a kill by senior Nate Kincel (Pittsburgh, PA/Penn Hills), but the Patriots won the game, 30-24, on a kill by sophomore Shaun Powell (Toronto, Canada/Francis Libermann).

George Mason used consecutive blocks by Claney and Egan to build a 6-2 lead in game two. The Patriots dominated the game, ouhitting the Eagles .435 to -.097, winning 30-18 on an Egan kill.

Both teams traded points at the open of game three, but the Patriots used a four-point run, including a solo block by senior Art Kulans (Crystal Lake, IL/Crystal Lake South), to open up a 12-9 lead. After two Juniata attack errors George Mason's lead grew to five at 15-10, but the Eagles fought back, scoring four straight points to come within one at 15-14. Juniata led 21-20 on a Patriot blocking error, but George Mason countered with a five-point run to take the 25-21 lead. The Patriots would not trail again and went on to win the game, 30-24, scoring the final two points on a Steinfurth solo block and kill.

Steinfurth finished with three blocks, including two solo blocks to tie his career high. Campos added 10 kills, six digs, two blocks and the match's only two aces. Kulans finished with eight kills, four digs and two blocks, and is just 63 kills away from the 1,000-kill mark for his career. Egan recorded a match-high 37 assists, three digs and three kills, and Claney had four kills, error-free, with two digs. Junior Dustin Crosby (Virginia Beach, VA/Kempsville) added a match-high seven digs in two games.

The George Mason men's volleyball team heads to University Park, PA, for a conference match on Tuesday, March 4, versus No. 11 Penn State at 7:30 p.m.