Sept. 11, 2009

Box Score

RALEIGH, N.C. - Junior Fernanda Bartels fell one dig short of a triple-double as she helped lead the George Mason women's volleyball team to a 3-1 victory (23-25, 27-25, 25-12, 25-23) over Rutgers University in the first match of the N.C. State Raleigh Crabtree Valley Marriott Classic.

The Patriots improved to 7-2 with the victory while the Scarlet Knights fell to 1-6.

Bartels recorded match highs with 40 assists and 10 total blocks and added nine digs, while senior Rebecca Walter paced the Mason offense with 17 kills on .457 hitting. Two Patriots reached double-digit digs, as sophomore Katrina Boryc and junior Holly Goode chipped in 19 and 14 apiece. Rutgers was led by 10 kills each from Emma Chrystal and Hannah Curtis.

For the second-straight match the Patriots dominated at the net, out-blocking RU by a 13-to-4 margin. Both teams' attacks struggled, with Mason holding a .144-to-.007 lead in hitting percentage.

Both teams hit .000 in the opening set, which Rutgers opened with a 4-1 run and led until a 9-1 run pushed the Patriots to a 18-15 lead. The Scarlet Knights came back to tie it at 21 and the teams swapped the next four points before an Alex Jones block and a Stephanie Zielinski ace gave the first set to Rutgers.

In the second set, the Patriots had the strong start with three straight points to open play. Mason held a lead for most of the frame, before a 5-0 Rutgers run tied the score at 17. Neither team would lead by more than two for the duration of the set. Mason's first set point came at 24-23 but two RU points shifted the set point to the other side of the court. At 25-24, Walter slammed a kill to send the set into extra time and two more Mason points evened the match at 1-1.

Rutgers began the third set with a 7-3 run but the Patriots came storming back, mounting a 14-2 scoring charge to break open the score with a 17-9 lead. The Knights could muster just three more points in the set as Mason cruised to the set win. The final set was much more balanced, with neither team leading by more than three after the Patriots scored the first four points. Holding a narrow 22-21 lead, Mason scored four of the next five points to hold off Rutgers and claim victory.

The Patriots are back in action later Friday afternoon with a 5 p.m. matchup against Xavier.