FAIRFAX, VA - George Mason women's volleyball team (1-3) split two matches at the 2003 Brion's Grille/Doubletree Patriot Invitational at the John Linn Gym on the campus of GMU. Mason swept Georgetown (30-19, 30-24, 30-26) in its first victory this season and fell to Cincinnati in the closing match of the Invitational by scores of 21-30, 19-30, 30-28, 18-30.

The Patriots dominated in their first match-up of the day by garnering a .347 hitting percentage to Georgetown's .152. Senior outside hitter Aline Pereira (Sao Paolo, Brazil) led GMU with a match-high 17 kills and hit .367 in the contest. Junior setter Jesica Umansky (Buenos Aires, Argentina) dished out a match-high 34 assists, while sophomore Niki Bernardes (King George, VA) collected another match-high for the Patriots with 12 digs.

In the loss to UC, Mason was led by Pereira who collected a match-high 23 kills, while sophomore outside hitter Natalia Porosa (Scarborough, Ontario) amassed 13 kills for the Patriots. Junior outside hitter Julie DuPont and sophomore outside hitter Maria Pongonis both earned 15 kills each for the Bearcats, while Lindsey Garrison had a match-high 10 digs for UC. Mason had its best hitting percentage of the match in game three at .441 to UC's .278, while the Bearcats earned a total hitting percentage of .412 to Mason's .161.

In the first match of day two, Cincinnati swept Fairfield by scores of 30-24, 30-21, 30-19. DuPont collected a double-double for the Bearcats with 10 digs and a match-high 14 kills, while senior Laura Lauder dished out a match-high 11 digs. Fairfield hit .121 in the contest to Cincinnati's .424.

In match three, George Washington (3-0) maintained its flawless record with a three-game defeat over Fairfield (0-3) by scores of 30-20, 30-27, 30-20. Sophomore outside hitter Lindsey Vernand played two games and collected a team-high 11 kills, while freshman teammate Abigail Greenleaf led the team in digs with 10. Senior outside hitter Laurie Brands amassed match-highs in both kills and digs with 14 and 11, respectively, to lead Fairfield. The Colonials hit .232 and held the Stags to just .092 in the contest.

Following the Colonials win, Southwest Missouri State (2-1) went on to defeat Georgetown (1-2) in four games by scores of 30-19, 30-19, 25-30, 30-24. Four Bears amassed double-digit kills with senior outside hitter Erin Murphy and sophomore Katie Werges matching each other with 14, while senior setter Chenille Bayless collected 11 digs for SMS. Sophomore outside hitter Ashley Lancaster collected a match-high 18 kills, while junior setter Margaret Vernon and Julie Grauert each had 11 digs for the Hoyas. SMS hit .296 in the match to Georgetown's .189.

The Patriots will return to action on Sept. 5-6 when they compete at the Jefferson Cup hosted by the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, VA. Mason will compete against Campbell on Fri. (9/5) at 5 p.m. and will then take on Liberty (noon) and UVA (7 p.m.) the following day.

2003 Brion's Grille/Doubletree Patriot Invitational All-Tournament Team
Linette White (SMS)
Sarah Hokom (GW)
Lauren Dunning (GW)
Aline Pereira (Mason)
Julie DuPont (UC)
Rachel Torblaa (UC)-MVP

Top-three Teams
1. George Washington
2. Cincinnati
3. Southwest Missouri State

2003 Brion's Grille/Doubletree Patriot Invitational Day Two Results
Cincinnati def. Fairfield (30-24, 30-21, 30-19)
GEORGE MASON def. Georgetown (30-19, 30-24, 30-26)
George Washington def. Fairfield (30-20, 30-27, 30-20)
Southwest Missouri State def. Georgetown (30-19, 30-19, 25-30, 30-24)
Cincinnati def. GEORGE MASON (21-30, 19-30, 30-28, 18-30)