COLUMBUS, Ohio - The George Mason's men's volleyball team played to a fifth set for the third time in as many games but came up on the short end as they were defeated by No. 10 Ohio State University Thursday evening in Columbus.

The Patriots fell by match scores of 25-21, 21-25, 22-25, 25-23, 11-15.

Mason (1-2) opened the match strong, claiming the first set, 25-21. With the set tied at 12-12, the Patriots went on a 5-0 run to push the lead to 17-12. The Buckeyes (4-3) pulled back to within two points (22-20), but Mason closed the set by outscoring OSU 3-1 for the final margin.

The second set opened with the Patriots setting the pace, as the squad took a 12-7 lead. However, Ohio State responded by tying the match at 13-13 and leading the rest of the way for the 25-21 win. The Buckeyes also claimed the third set, 25-22, despite a late rally from Mason. OSU held the lead through most of the set, but the Patriots remained within two points the entire way before knotting the score at 22-22. However, Mason lost its momentum, eventually dropping the set.

For the second match in a row, Mason rallied in the fourth set to produce a 25-23 victory. Both teams battled back and forth, but with the match tied at 17-17 the Patriots captured the lead for good on a kill by Joe Norton to force a decisive fifth set.

Mason led the fifth set early on but with the match tied at 4-4, OSU went on a 3-0 run to go up 7-4. The Patriots remained within two points, but the Buckeyes used another run to increase its lead and eventually capture the match.

Junior outside hitter Michael Kvidahl led the Patriots with 14 kills, while redshirt senior Joe Norton added 13 kills. Redshirt freshman Pete Cuppernull had 48 assists, while junior middle blocker Piotr Dabrowski had a game-high nine blocks.

The Patriots return to action tomorrow evening, facing Ball State at 7:00 pm.