MUNCIE, Ind. - The George Mason men's volleyball team rallied
for a 3-2 win at Ball State on Friday evening at Worthen Arena.
Playing to a fifth set for the fifth-consecutive match, Mason
clinched the match with set scores of 25-19, 17-25, 22-25, 25-21, 16-14.
Leading the first set by a score of 12-11, the Patriots (2-2)
went on a 13-8 run to close the set and earn the 25-19 win. Much like its first
three matches, Mason struggled in the second set as Ball State (2-2) played to
a 25-17 win. In a closely-contested third set, the score traded hands until
late in the set when, with the score tied at 22-22, Mason ended up on the short
end of a 25-22 decision.
Trailing the match 2-1, the Patriots rallied in the fourth
set with a 25-21 win. In a back-and-forth set, Mason took the lead for good at
15-14 to force a fifth set. Both teams battled early on in the fifth set,
playing to a 6-6 draw. Ball State took the lead and maintained a two-point
advantage until Mason responded to tie the set at 11-11. Ball State took the
lead again after the tie, but the Patriots rallied to tie it again at 14-14. With Pete Cuppernull serving, Mark Jones came
up with two key kills as Mason rallied for the 16-14 win.
Jones posted a game-high 30 kills, while Cuppernull finished
with a game-high 54 assists and Hunter Stevens chipped in seven blocks.
Ball State was led by Jamion Hartley's 17 kills. Graham
McIlvaine recorded 50 assists and seven blocks.
The Patriots take to the court again tomorrow, facing IPFW
at 7:00 pm in Fort Worth.
