Oct. 12, 2007
Box Score
FAIRFAX, Va. - The George Mason women's volleyball team opened play in its new home Friday night with two impressive games, but ultimately could not hold off James Madison in a 3-2 defeat at the Field House. Game scores were 33-35, 28-30, 30-24, 30-24, 15-9.
JMU (11-8, 3-3 CAA) fought off the Patriots (10-8, 3-3) on a strong offensive attack led by Lindsay Callahan's 23 kills. For the Patriots, senior Jaqueline Kohler led all Mason scorers with 18 kills, and was joined in double figures by sophomores Laura Turner and Rebecca Walter, who chipped in 15 and 12, respectively. Walter, the reigning conference player of the week, notched her sixth double-double of the year as she added 11 digs to her ledger.
In the first game, a tight affair which matched the tone of the two teams' meeting in Harrisonburg three weekends ago, Mason was thwarted at game point and ended up staving off four chances by the Dukes to take the first game. Finally, at 34-33, junior Jourdan Dozier's kill gave Mason the early 1-0 advantage.
The second game saw an inspired comeback by the Patriots, who were down by as many as three points at 25-22 before tying the contest and ultimately taking the 2-0 lead. However, in the third game, James Madison found its rhythm as a 7-2 run after a timeout gave the Dukes a 30-22 game win.
In the fourth game, JMU found its largest lead of the match when it had game point at 29-23. Mason responded with a kill by freshman Holly Goode, one of her eight on the day, but a Callahan kill allowed the Dukes to take the game and force a fifth game.
Mason appeared to take charge early on in the tie-breaking game, scoring the first four points. The Dukes caught up at 6-6, and after Mason took a 9-8 advantage, scored seven unanswered points to close the door on the Patriots and halt their three-match winning streak.
The Patriots will look to bounce back next weekend when they host a pair of CAA foes at the Field House. Mason will square off against William & Mary on Friday at 7 p.m., then follow it up with a match against Virginia Commonwealth the next day at 7 p.m.
