RICHMOND, Va. - After winning the first two sets, the George Mason women's volleyball team was unable to stave off a VCU rally as the Rams captured a five-set victory over the Patriots on Saturday evening at the Verizon Wireless Arena. Set scores were 18-25, 25-27, 25-14, 25-20, 15-10 as the Patriots fell to 7-14 (2-7 CAA) while VCU improved to 4-5 in conference and 10-14 overall.

Three Mason players reached double-digit kills, led by senior Kelsey Bohman's 15 kills while classmate Noelle Fanella added 12 and sophomore Lana Zonjic chipped in 10. Zonjic was one of two Patriots with a double-double as she added a team-high 14 digs, while junior Lauren Goodell posted 42 assists and 10 digs. Sophomore Laura Spencer led all players with nine total blocks (four solo), spearheading a 14-to-10 Mason advantage at the net. Five different Rams each posted 10 or more kills, led by Kristin Boyd's match-high 19.

Mason led by as many as 11 points in the first set, part of a 11-3 run which broke open a 13-10 Patriot advantage. Leading 24-13, the Patriots were denied the set point right away as VCU scored five straight before a Zonjic kill ended the set.

There were 12 ties and six lead changes in the closely-contested second set, with the margin staying within two points until three straight by the Patriots made it 20-16 in favor of the Green and Gold. The Rams came back to tie the score at 22 and after a Anett Farkas block forced the frame to go past the regulation 25, a Cecilia Aragao kill gave VCU set point at 25-24. Spencer led the way, though, with a kill and two blocks to respond and give the Patriots a two-set lead heading into the locker room.

Tied 5-5 early on, the Rams used a 7-1 run to take the lead in the third set and went on to lead by as many as 11 points as they swung .440 compared to a .185 mark for the Patriots in the set.  The fourth set saw VCU again take control after an early battle, this time using an 8-2 run to grab the lead away from the Patriots. Mason got no closer than four points from then on as the Rams forced a fifth set.

VCU jumped out to an early lead in set five, scoring seven of the first 10 points. Mason got it to a four-point margin at 10-6, but three straight Rams points had Mason on the brink of defeat. The Patriots rallied with four in a row to cut the gap to 13-10, but a Jessica Ojukwu kill and an Amanda Friday ace following the VCU timeout gave the home team the victory, which avenged the Patriots' five-set victory on the same court in the 2009 CAA Championship match.

Mason continues its road trip next weekend, as the Patriots head to Georgia State for a 7 p.m. match against the Panthers in Atlanta on Friday.