Feb. 28, 2009

Box Score

FAIRFAX, Va. - George Mason snapped a two-match home losing streak with a 3-0 sweep of Rutgers-Newark on Saturday afternoon at the Field House. With the win, the Patriots improved their season record to 7-4 overall.

The Patriots rarely trailed throughout the entire match. Mason never fall behind in the entire opening set and trailed a total of three times in the final two sets. Final set scores of the match were 30-24, 30-24 and 30-23.

Junior Ben Nichols led the Mason attack in kills for the second consecutive match, with 17 on 30 swings. Nichols hit .300 in the win. Senior Kyle Gramit also notched double digits in kills, wrapping up the match with 11 while posting a .364 hitting percentage. Gramit also recorded four service aces in the match to give him a total of 10 in two matches this weekend. Junior Luke Maloney matched Gramit's output of service aces with four of his own.

George Mason held a commanding advantage in hitting percentage, service aces, team blocks and points in the win. The Patriots outhit Rutgers-Newark .354 to .200 to drop the Scarlet Raiders' record to .500 (6-6) on the season. Mason had eight more service aces (9-1) than Rutgers-Newark, 10.5 more team blocks (12.5-2.0) and 19.5 more points (64.5-45.0).

Mason hits the road for its next five matches. The Patriots have a tough test lined up in their next opponent, No. 3 Penn State. The match is slated for Friday, March 6 at 7 p.m. at Rec Hall in University Park, Pa.