FAIRFAX, Va. - The George Mason men's volleyball team rallied from a two-set deficit to capture a five-set victory over Juniata on Saturday evening at the RAC. Set scores were 17-25, 21-25, 25-17, 25-19, 15-10. The victory improved the Patriots' record to 3-0 on the year while they dealt the Eagles (5-1) their first loss of the season.
Mark Jones led the Patriots with 13 kills while Brandon Joyner registered a double-double on 44 assists and 11 digs. John Jepson tallied a match-high 18 digs while Shaun Sibley slammed nine blocks, leading the Mason defensive effort. For the Eagles, Alex McColgin led the way with 21 kills while Chris Vrooman joined him in double-digits with 13.
The Eagles never trailed in the opening set, breaking open a 5-4 score with a 6-1 run to take a lead at 10-4. The Patriots closed the gap to three points at 18-15, but Mason registered just two more points as Juniata picked up the early one-set advantage. Mason's attack dipped into the red in the frame, hitting -.040 compared to a .423 clip for Juniata.
Set two was a much closer affair, as the largest lead for either squad was four points. Mason opened with three of the first four points and led by as many as three before the Eagles came back to tie the score at 15. That was part of a stretch of five straight Juniata points which shifted the advantage to the visitor's side. Mason cut the deficit to two at 23-21 but a pair of McColgin kills gave the Eagles a two-set lead. The Patriots' hitting remained negative at -.029, while Juniata's attack dropped to .130.
Mason opened strong in the third, scoring eight of the first 11 points for its largest lead of the match to that point. The Patriots' advantage grew as large as nine in a set which they dominated throughout. The Patriots' hitting percentage jumped to .297, with 15 kills compared to four errors on 37 attempts.
In the fourth set, the Patriots grabbed the early lead at 3-1 and, save for two ties at 1-1 and 15-all, held the lead throughout. The Eagles could only get within four points as the Patriots forced their first five-set match of the young season as they posted their best offensive performance of the match at .312 hitting.
Behind the serve of Mark Jones, the Patriots raced out to a 4-0 lead in the fifth set, including two aces, and were able to hold on, leading by as many as six at 11-5. The Eagles answered with three in a row and the teams swapped points until Mason tallied the final four points to capture the win.
Mason will look to make it four straight as they travel to Columbus on Tuesday to take on Ohio State. First serve is set for 7 p.m.
