Feb. 9, 2008

Box Score

FAIRFAX, Va. - The 14th-ranked George Mason men's volleyball team (6-3) pulled out a dramatic five-game victory over the seventh-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes (7-2) in the annual Uvaldo Acosta Memorial Match on Saturday evening at the Fieldhouse. Leading the match 2-1, Mason dropped the fourth game 30-27, but rebounded to win a close fifth game, 15-13 to end the match.

With the score tied at nine in the fifth game, Mason took a one-point lead when sophomore Ryan Kwiatkowski set up Kyle Gramit for the kill. On the next rally, Gramit and senior R.J. Goubeaux combined to block Robbie Klein's swing to put the Patriots up by two. Mason never relinquished its lead, trading points with Ohio State until the end of the match.

The Patriots opened up the match with a 30-27 win in the first game, but the Buckeyes answered right back, taking the second game 30-25 to even the score at one game apiece. The third game was a wild back-and-forth affair, featuring 15 ties and seven lead changes. George Mason faced game point at 31-30 but fought back valiantly, taking the next three points to take a 2-1 lead in the match. The Patriots got back-to-back kills by Gramit and Goubeaux before Klein's wild swing landed out of bounds to give Mason the win.

Mason took a 6-1 lead in the fourth game but were unable to hold onto the lead. The Buckeyes took their first lead of the match at 16-15 and went on to take a 30-27 win to tie the match at two and set the stage for the fifth game.

Gramit led the team in kills with 20, while junior Hudson Bates finished with 17. Goubeaux gave the Buckeyes trouble all night long, finishing with 16 kills on .652 hitting and 10 blocks. Kwiatkowski tallied 57 assists in the match and senior Mark Burik recorded 15 digs at the libero spot.

Klein recorded a double-double in the losing effort, finishing with 20 kills and 10 digs. Senior Brett Versen hit. .325 with 23 kills and seven digs.

In between the second and third games, the Patriots paid tribute to men's volleyball legend Uvaldo Acosta with a moving slideshow featuring footage from his playing and coaching career at Mason on the video board at the Fieldhouse. Acosta's family was in attendance for the match, along with a collection of former George Mason men's volleyball players, back in town for Alumni Weekend.

The Patriots face a tough test in their next match, traveling to University Park, Pa. to take on second-ranked Penn State in a 7 p.m. EIVA Tait Division contest.