Sept. 5, 2008
Mason-St. Francis (Pa.) Box Score
Mason-Liberty Box Score
FAIRFAX, Va. - The George Mason women's volleyball team recorded its first victory of the 2008 season on Friday when it swept St. Francis (Pa.) by set scores of 25-16, 25-13 and 25-21, but was unable to secure a second win as it fell to Liberty, 3-1 (23-25, 25-18, 25-20, 25-18) in the first day of action at the Patriot Invitational at the Mason Field House.
Mason ended the day with a 1-4 record on the season.
The Patriots opened play in the tournament in the third of five matches on the day, and quickly established dominance over the Red Flash (1-5). Mason registered a .338 hitting percentage, compared to .036 for St. Francis, and held a 10-to-4 team blocking advantage. Junior Rebecca Walter led the Patriot offense with 13 kills, while junior Laura Turner tallied eight total blocks to lead the charge at the net. St. Francis was paced by 11 kills from Kristin Buter.
Both teams kept pace in the early going of the match, but with the score tied at 11, Mason scored four of the next five points to take the lead in the first set for good. The second set, however, was controlled by the Green and Gold as Mason never trailed. Opening on a 9-2 run, the Patriots led by as many as 14 at 19-5 and held their ground to record a 25-13 set win.
In the third set, it was the Red Flash who came out of the break firing, taking an early five-point lead before Mason stormed back to tie the score at 13. The teams remained less than two points separated until 22-20, when the Patriots took three of the next four points to capture the set and the match.
In the nightcap, the Patriots jumped out to an early one-set lead on the Flames (5-0), but Liberty responded by taking the next three to remain undefeated after beating St. Francis earlier in the morning to kick off the tournament. Mason was led by double-digit kills from freshman Noelle Fanella (11) and senior Jourdan Dozier (10), while Liberty had four scorers reach double figures in kills.
The Patriots opened the match on a tear, winning nine of the first ten points and not relinquishing the lead until Liberty tied the match at 23. However, Mason scored the next two points to hold off the Liberty scoring run and mark the early lead.
In the second set, both teams had a strong attack but Liberty out-hit the Patriots by a .483-to-.345 margin. LU broke open a 9-9 tie with five straight points to take the lead and ultimately tie the match at one set apiece. The Flames would not trail for the remainder of the match as they took sets three and four for the match victory.
The Patriot Invitational continues Saturday with a full slate of five matches. Mason will take the court just once, closing out the tournament with a 6 p.m. matchup against New Mexico (5-0), which won both of its matches earlier in the day.
