NEWARK, Del. - Sophomore Lana Zonjic tied a match-high with 15 kills, but the George Mason women's volleyball team was unable to extend its match against defending Colonial Athletic Association champion Delaware to five sets, falling 3-1 to the Blue Hens on Sunday afternoon at Viera Court. Set scores were 25-21, 17-25, 25-17, 25-18.

The Blue Hens improved to 10-11 and 3-2 in CAA play, while the Patriots' record dipped to 7-10, 2-3 CAA.

Zonjic was joined in double-digit kills by senior Noelle Fanella, who added 10 along with a match-high 22 digs for her third double-double of the season. Fellow senior Kelly McCarter and freshman Alyson Farm also reached double figures in digs, contributing 21 and 14, respectively. Junior Lauren Goodell posted 40 assists to lead the Patriots. For UD, four players reached double-figure kills led by Kim Stewart's 15, who also had 14 digs.

Delaware took the early lead in the first set, opening on a 5-2 run. The Blue Hens would not trail in the opening set, though the Patriots got as close as two at 12-10. They could not get any closer, and the Blue hens went on to lead by as many as seven, including set point at 24-17. Mason did not relent, scoring four straight to make it 24-21, but a Stewart kill ended the threat.

Mason started hot in the second set, opening on a 9-4 run and never trailing in the frame beyond the Blue Hens' opening point. The closest that UD would get in the set from then on was four points, but the Patriot lead was essentially unthreatened throughout as they evened the match at one set all. Mason hit .305 in the set compared to .091 for the host Hens.

In the third, one team again seized control early and never relinquished the lead, as the Blue Hens began with a 10-4 run. Mason went on to tally three in a row to cut the deficit to 13-10 and would later match that at 20-17. However, UD notched five straight points to head into the fourth set with a 2-1 lead.

The final stanza of the match matched the third, as UD again led 10-4 early. This time, Mason was unable to get any closer than five from there on, after a Zonjic kill made it 23-18. Katie Hank closed out the match with a kill and an ace to hand her team the victory.

Mason returns home next weekend, hosting Northeastern and Hofstra on Friday and Saturday nights at the RAC, part of a stretch containing seven out of nine matches away from Fairfax.