Sept. 10, 2008

Box Score

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Freshman Kelly McCarter led the Patriots for the second-straight match with nine kills as the George Mason women's volleyball team swept the Howard Bison, 3-0, in non-conference action at Burr Gymnasium on Wednesday evening. Set scores were 26-24, 25-22, 25-15.

Mason (2-5) earned its second victory of the season, while the Bison (1-7) were unable to do the same as both teams' offenses struggled throughout. McCarter led the Patriots, which held a .194-to-.113 hitting advantage, while Howard was paced by seven-kill nights from Gazelle D'Artois and Gabrielle Martin. Freshman Noelle Fanella tallied 10 digs to tie a game-high, while three Patriots recorded two service aces.

Howard out-hit Mason by a .267-to-.206 margin in the first set, but Mason was able to eke out a 26-24 win and take the early lead. The Patriots led by as many as seven, but at 15-8, the Bison came storming back to tie the score at 20. The teams traded points until, with the score tied at 24, a kill and a service ace by junior Sam Simmonds ended the set.

The second set was the worst offensively on both sides of the net, as Mason narrowly out-hit Howard, .062-to-.059. It was a back-and-forth affair until Mason scored four of the final five points at 21-21 to take a two-set lead.

Mason drastically improved its attack in the third set, registering 13 kills on 30 attempts with only three errors (.333), while the Bison's attack percentage fell even lower, coming in at .029. The Patriots broke a 6-6 tie with six straight points on Fanella's serve and never looked back, taking control of the set en route to the match victory.

The Patriots continue their road swing this weekend as they travel to Davidson, N.C., for the Wildcat Classic. Mason faces Rutgers on Friday at 4:30 p.m., and will face Davidson at 12:30 p.m. before a 4:30 p.m. tilt against Charlotte.