Sept. 12, 2003

FAIRFAX, VA--George Mason women's volleyball team (4-6) concluded play at the Orange and Green Challenge at the Knight Complex in Coral Gables, FL with a three-game sweep over Columbia (0-2) Friday afternoon (30-18, 30-19, 30-16). Earlier in the day, the Patriots dropped a three-game decision to Northwestern with scores of 24-30, 23-30, 24-30.

Mason's Milena Racic (Sr.; Pozarevac, Yugoslavia) collected a match-high 21 kills on 38 total attacks and amassed just four errors for a hitting percentage of .447 in the three-game win over Columbia. Senior outside hitter Aline Pereira (Sao Paolo, Brazil) dished out a match-high 15 digs, while junior setter Marie Skelton (Curtin, ACT, Australia) added 11 for the Patriots. GMU out-hit Columbia with a hitting percentage of .321 to .108.

In the loss to the Wildcats, Mason's Pereira led the match in kills with 21 and added a team-high 11 digs for another double-double for this season. As a team, the Patriots garnered 39 kills from 128 total attacks and had 22 errors for a .133 hitting percentage, while Northwestern amassed 55 kills on 123 attacks and tallied 17 errors for a hitting percentage of .309 in the three games.

The Patriots will return to action on Sept. 16 when they face-off against the Maryland Terrapins in College Park, MD at 7 p.m.