March 29, 2003

Box Score

FAIRFAX, VA ... Sophomore Shaun Powell (Toronto, Canada/Francis Libermann) posted a match-high 19 kills, hitting .455, to lead the George Mason University men's volleyball team to their fourth straight win, defeating No. 14 Ohio State, 3-0 (30-26, 30-23, 30-28), in the John Linn Memorial Gym on Saturday evening.

The Patriots improve to 14-8 overall with their first win over a ranked team this season. The Buckeyes drop their second-straight match to an Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association opponent, falling to 14-9 overall.

George Mason was strong offensively, outhitting Ohio State .393 to .214, with just one starter hitting below .350. Defensively, each team posted 10.5 blocks apiece, with the Patriots edging the Buckeyes 30 to 23 in total digs, led by junior Brad Kniewel (Ringwood, NJ/Lakeland Regional) with a match-high 12.

In game one George Mason used a three-point run, including consecutive blocks by sophomore Felix Campos (Puerto Nuevo, Puerto Rico/Colegio San Antonio), to take the 13-11 lead. Ohio State scored the next four points, taking the 15-13 lead on a kill by sophomore Mike Wauligman (Cincinnati, OH). The Patriots tied it at 15-15 on a Powell kill, and the teams battled closely from there. George Mason scored consecutive points to take the 29-25 advantage on a block by Campos and senior James Claney (Northbrook, IL/Glenbrook North), but the Buckeyes fought off game point with another Wauligman kill. On the next play Powell posted his eighth kill of the game and George Mason won game one, 30-26. The Patriots outhit the Buckeyes .463 to .324 in the game and outblocked them 4.5 to 2.0.

An early three-point run put Ohio State ahead 5-2 in game two. George Mason scored three consecutive points of their own to tie the game at 5-5 on a block by Powell and freshman Matt Steinfurth (Portsmouth, VA/Woodrow Wilson). The Patriots broke a 17-17 tie with a Campos kill, and took the 23-18 lead on a four-point run capped by a Buckeye attack error. The Patriots won game two, 30-23, on another Powell kill. George Mason outhit Ohio State .407 to .120 and outblocked them 4.5 to 4.0.

The Buckeyes used an early four-point run to take the 7-5 lead on a kill by 6-10 sophomore Scott Spurlock (Stow, OH) in game three. They led by as many as four points, up 12-8 on a Wauligman kill. But five consecutive Patriot points, including three on Ohio State errors, gave George Mason their first lead of the game at 14-13. Ohio State retook the lead at 18-16 after scoring consecutive points, but the Patriots battled back with a three-point run, capped off by a Steinfurth kill, to go ahead 19-18. A three-point Buckeye run, including two Mason errors, tied the game at 24-24. A Campos kill jump-started another Patriot run, and George Mason led 28-25. Ohio State responded with their own run, tying the game 28-28 on a Spurlock kill. A Powell kill followed by a Buckeye attack error gave the Patriots the decisive 30-28 game three win. George Mason outhit Ohio State .308 to .179, but was outblocked 4.5 to 1.5 in the game.

In addition to his 19 kills, Powell added five digs and two blocks in the game. Steinfurth posted a team-high five blocks, while Claney and Campos added four apiece. Campos also recorded 11 kills, while Claney and senior Art Kulans (Crystal Lake, IL/Crystal Lake South) chipped in 10 apiece. Sophomore Dave Egan (Toronto, Canada/Senator O'Connor) finished with a match-high 47 assists, four kills and three blocks, while Kulans added a career-high eight assists for the Patriots.

Wauligman led the Buckeyes with 16 kills, four digs and three blocks, while junior Mark Peckham (London, Ontario) added 36 assists and four blocks. Spurlock finished with a match-high seven blocks and six kills.

The George Mason men's volleyball team returns to action on Saturday, April 12, at 8 p.m. in the Linn Gym versus nationally ranked Penn State to close their regular season. That match has been designated the Uvaldo Acosta Memorial Match and the Patriots' three graduating seniors - Claney, Kulans and Peter Fabbro (West Seneca, NY/Orchard Park) -- will also be recognized.