Aug. 30, 2008
Box Score
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Junior Rebecca Walter recorded her second double-double of the fledgling season with 12 kills and 10 digs, but the Patriots were unable to come away with a victory in the D.C. Volleyball Challenge as American defeated Mason, 3-1, at GW's Smith Center on Saturday afternoon. Game scores were 25-21, 20-25, 25-23, 25-15.
Mason (0-3) battled the Eagles (2-1) closely throughout the match, but AU's Rubena Sukaj tallied 22 kills and 15 digs to lead the Eagles to victory. Three Patriots joined Walter with double-digit digs, led by 19 from senior Chelsea Kropp. Sophomore Fernanda Bartels had a double-double with 16 digs combined with 30 assists, while freshman Kelly McCarter tallied 10 digs.
AU out-hit the Patriots by a .316-to-.114 margin in the first set, but the two teams essentially traded points for the first half of the set. However, a 9-1 American run broke open the 13-13 deadlock and set the Eagles up for the early one-set lead.
Beginning the second set in the same back-and-forth manner as the first, the two teams found themselves tied at 13 once again. In the second, though, it was Mason which found the scoring run, netting five of the next six points to take the lead for good. The Patriots used a blistering .448 attack in the set to even the ledger at one set apiece.
However, the Eagles responded with set victories in the next two stanzas to win the match. Mason trailed for all but one point in the two sets as the Eagles shut down the Mason offense.
Earlier in the day, the Patriots fell to host George Washington, 3-1 (25-20, 25-22, 25-27, 25-19) in both teams' first action of the afternoon.
Walter was named to the D.C. Volleyball Challenge All-Tournament Team for her efforts, in which she totaled 36 kills and 32 digs over the two-day, three-match span.
Mason returns home to Fairfax next weekend to host the two-day Patriot Invitational on Friday and Saturday. The tournament will feature 10 matches between six schools, with the Patriots scheduled to face St. Francis (Pa.) at 3 p.m. and Liberty at 7 p.m. on Friday, followed by a 6 p.m. match against New Mexico on Saturday.
