April 18, 2009

Box Score

FAIRFAX, Va. - The George Mason men's volleyball team wrapped up its 2009 regular-season schedule on a high note with a 3-0 victory over EIVA Tait Division rival NJIT on Senior Day at the Field House on Saturday afternoon. Set scores were 30-26, 30-15 and 30-18.

With the win, the Patriots improve to 12-15 overall and 5-7 in EIVA Tait Division matches. NJIT concludes its season with a 3-23 overall record and 0-12 record in conference matches. Mason enters the upcoming EIVA Championship Tournament as the fifth seed and will host a first round match at the Field House on Wednesday, April 22 at 7 p.m. against Harvard, the eighth seed in the tournament and Hay Division runner-up.

The opening set was the closest of the day. Mason opened up a six-point lead on three different occasions but NJIT hung around, narrowing the deficit to two points at 28-26 before the Patriots won the final two points to take a 1-0 lead in the match. Junior Ryan Kwiatkowski set junior Luke Maloney for the kill for the final point of the set.

Mason cruised in the final two sets, winning by 15 points in the second and 12 in the third. The Patriots' serving played a major role in the lopsided scores. Mason finished the day with 12 aces as a team. Maloney led the team with five, while junior Ben Nichols added four.

Mason's three seniors - Kyle Gramit, Erik Lanham and Brandon McLaughlin - were all honored in a special ceremony prior to the start of the match. Gramit finished with match-highs of 15 kills and 11 digs for a double-double. Lanham hit .308 with seven kills and six blocks. McLaughlin finished with five kills and four blocks in the match.