March 14, 2009

Box Score

MALIBU, Calif. - Senior Kyle Gramit posted 20 kills on 51 swings but it wasn't enough as the George Mason men's volleyball team wrapped up its West Coast trip with a 3-0 loss to No. 3 Pepperdine on Saturday evening at Firestone Fieldhouse in Malibu, Calif. The loss drops the Patriots' overall record during the 2009 season to .500.

Sophomore setter Kasey Crider posted a double-double with 42 assists and 12 digs to lead the Waves (13-2) to their fourth straight win. George Mason, playing its final contest of a three-match Southern California swing, dropped to 8-8 with a 30-27, 30-22, 30-23 loss. The Waves improved to 5-0 all-time against the Patriots, although this was the first meeting since 1990.

The Waves jumped out to a quick 4-1 lead in the first game after a block by Tyler Jaynes, but with three straight points the Patriots evened the score at 7-7. Tied 9-9, Pepperdine went on a 4-1 run with two kills and a service ace by sophomore outside hitter Cory Riecks to take its biggest lead of the game at 14-10. George Mason rallied again, however, tying the game at 21-21 after a kill by Gramit, and eventually taking their first and only lead at 23-22 after a block by Kwiatkowski and Brandon McLaughlin. The Waves avoided a bigger deficit when Riecks and Rodnei Santos got a block on the next point. Tied 25-25, the Waves earned a point on a Patriot service error, and then Jaynes got another solo block to give Pepperdine back the advantage. With a 28-27 lead, the Waves ended the game on kills by Santos and Matt McKee.

Pepperdine led wire-to-wire in game two after scoring the first three points and then building a 5-1 lead as Paul Carroll had an early kill and a block assist. The Waves steadily increased their lead from there. They went up by six at 11-5 after a Jaynes kill, by seven at 14-7 after another Jaynes kill, by eight at 17-9 on a Santos kill, by nine at 22-13 on a Riecks service ace and by 10 at 24-14 after a Santos kill.

The Waves didn't trail in the third game either. After a 1-1 tie, a Patriot attack error and a McKee kill put Pepperdine ahead to stay. With a 9-8 lead, the Waves went on a 7-1 run, with Jaynes collecting a service ace and a block assist, to make it 16-9. A Carroll service ace later increased the score to 18-10. George Mason would get no closer than four points at 22-18 after a Luke Maloney service ace. Pepperdine would build its lead back up, however, and ended the match on a block by senior middle blocker Mark Hulse and junior setter Kyle Luongo.

George Mason returns to the court to take on Ohio State in a nonconference match on Friday, March 20 at 7 p.m. at the Field House.