Aug. 31, 2009
Box Score
FAIRFAX, Va. - The George Mason women's volleyball team ran into a stiff early-season test when it squared off against 11th-ranked Minnesota on Monday evening at the RAC Gym, and the Golden Gophers proved too much in a three-set victory over the Patriots before a crowd of 674. Set scores were 25-13, 25-15, 25-14.
Minnesota improved to 2-1 with the victory, while the Patriots suffered their first home loss in their new home venue, falling to 2-2 overall.
The Golden Gophers commanded the tempo of the game with their offense, out-hitting the Patriots by a .456-to-.060 margin. Minnesota had a strong match at the net as well, as it held a 9-to-2 blocking advantage in the match over Mason.
In the fourth match of the season, junior Holly Goode led the Patriot offense for the fourth time, registering a team-best nine kills while adding five digs. Classmate Fernanda Bartels led the defense with six digs to go with her 20 assists, while sophomore Kelsey Bohman recorded five kills on a team-best .333 hitting. For the Gophers, Brook Dieter poured in 11 kills and Lauren Gibbemeyer added 10 to lead the offense.
Mason took advantage of the Gophers early, scoring the match's first two points before an 8-0 run by Minnesota opened up their lead. The Patriots pulled as close as two with four straight points, but an 8-1 scoring run opened the gap to nine and Minnesota went on to take the first set.
Goode posted five of her kills in the second set, in which again the Patriots pulled to 6-4 but could not ultimately earn the lead. In the third set, Minnesota's attack marked a .773 overall hitting percentage, connecting on 17-of-22 attempts with no errors. Mason kept it close in the early going, but at 8-5 the Gophers scored four of the next five points. The Patriots advanced no closer than seven for the remainder of the match as Minnesota notched the victory.
Mason will be back in action this weekend, hosting its two-day annual tournament. The 2009 Patriot Invitational will feature six total matches on Friday and Saturday, with Mason hosting Cornell, Kent State and Morehead State in Fairfax.
