Jan. 16, 2008

Box Score

FAIRFAX, Va. - Using a balanced offensive attack, the thirteenth-ranked George Mason men's volleyball team earned its second consecutive victory over the University of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez to begin the 2008 season, defeating the Tarzanes 3-1 (30-18, 30-15, 30-32, 30-22) at the Fieldhouse on Wednesday evening. Junior Hudson Bates, senior R.J. Goubeaux, sophomore Brandon McLaughlin and sophomore Colton Naill all reached double figures in kills in the match.

Paced by McLaughlin's 12 kills on 15 attempts, the Patriots hit .393 as a team and cruised to victories in the opening two games, winning the opener by 12 and the second by 15 points. With a different lineup playing in the third game, Mason was unable to pull away from UPR-Mayaguez in a game that featured 19 ties and seven lead changes. With the score tied at 30, the Tarzanes earned their first win of the match, scoring their final two points off a setting error by freshman Brandon Joyner and a block by sophomore Gabriel Rivera.

The Mayaguez victory in the third game snapped a long winning streak for the Patriots against the Tarzanes. With consecutive victories in the first two games of tonight's match, George Mason had won 13 consecutive games against Puerto Rico-Mayaguez.

Despite dropping a game against the Tarzanes, the Patriots rebounded in the fourth game, winning convincingly, 30-22, to end the match and improve to 2-0 on the season. Mason improved to 6-1 in the all-time series against Mayaguez, with the lone loss coming during the 2005 season.

George Mason's next match is slated for Monday, Jan. 21 at the Fieldhouse against Springfield College. First serve is scheduled for 7 p.m.