Aug. 24, 2007
Final Stats
FAIRFAX, Va. - Senior Jaqueline Kohler, a Preseason All-Conference Team selection, led the George Mason women's volleyball team with 15 kills as the Patriots defeated George Washington, 3-1, in both teams' regular season opener. Mason (1-0) opened its season with a victory for the second straight year, with both victories coming on the opening day of the D.C. Volleyball Challenge. The Colonials (0-1) opened the match with a 30-20 victory but could not withstand a Mason sweep of the next three games.
Kohler, who also recorded a game-high 20 digs, opened her senior campaign with a double-double to lead the Mason offense. Besides Kohler, two other Patriots reached double digits in kills, as sophomores Rebecca Walter and Laura Turner chipped in 13 and 10, respectively. Turner, along with junior Jourdan Dozier and freshman Holly Goode, led a dominating presence at the net, with all three players recording six blocks.
Brown, along with Liz Moult's 13 kills, helped the Colonials out-hit the Patriots by a 16 percent margin in the first game, as the Colonials took a 30-20 game one win. However, Mason responded with staunch defense and a blistering attack, recording 40 kills to just 22 errors.
While the match saw neither team jump out to large leads, it was the fourth and final game which showed the true see-saw battle that ensued in front of 274 fans at Linn Gym. The largest lead in the fourth game belonged to Mason at 15-12, but GW quickly fought back to even the ledger. From there, neither team could extend its lead past a single point until an attack error by the Colonials gave Mason a 28-26 lead.
Before moving to match point though, the Colonials evened the score again at 28. A Walter kill, set up by one of freshman Fernanda Bartels' game-high 37 assists, put the Patriots in position to win at 29-28. With the crowd on its feet, GW's Brown's attack was off the mark, striking the antenna to give the Patriots the 3-1 victory.
The Patriots will face the two remaining teams in the D.C. Volleyball Challenge tomorrow at Bender Arena on the campus of American University. Mason faces off against the host Eagles, who defeated the Georgetown Hoyas 3-0 in the day's first match, at 11 a.m. The Patriots will then challenge Georgetown at 5 p.m.
