HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. - The George Mason women's volleyball team saw its offense
come alive on Sunday afternoon, leading the way in a 3-1 Colonial Athletic
Association victory at Hofstra. It was the Patriots (4-13, 2-2 CAA) first win
away from home this season, while the Pride dropped to 14-10 and 2-3 in
conference.
Junior Lana Zonjic continued a strong weekend with 23 kills
on .400 hitting, matching her career high while senior Danielle Cook chipped in
12 kills. Zonjic completed a double-double with 12 digs, a feat that Cook (10
total blocks) and junior Tori Price also achieved with 44 assists and 10 digs.
Freshman Bernetta Moore led all players with 22 digs.
Three Pride players reached double digits in kills, led by
15 from Kelsie Wills.
Mason jumped out to a 5-2 lead to begin the match, but the
set was a back-and-forth affair with four lead changes and 10 tie scores. The
largest lead for either team was three, with Mason up 17-14. Hofstra came back
to tie but would trail late. With its advantage shrunk to 23-22, Mason got
kills from Zonjic and Cook to finish out the set.
The close contest continued into the second, no more than a two-point affair in the early
going. Tied at 11, though, the Patriots embarked on a 8-1 run to take their
largest lead of the match. The Pride got no closer than five points from then
on, including a Wills error that gave the Patriots a two-set lead.
Hofstra grabbed the early third-set lead and would not
relinquish it, breaking open a 4-4 tie with a 6-1 run. Mason pulled within two
points at 21-19 but three in a row by the Pride set up set point. The Patriots
got kills from Price and Zonjic and a block by Cook and Laura Spencer to force
a Hofstra timeout, but Nikki Kinnier slammed a kill to force a fourth set.
The Patriots scored the first four points of the set and six
of the first seven, going on to lead by as many as seven at 13-6. The lead
would grow to double-digits as part of a larger 9-2 run, making the score 18-8
and forcing a Hofstra timeout. Hofstra
got no closer than seven points from then on, as the Patriots cruised to the
victory, punctuating it with a kill by Cook on a feed from Price.
Mason returns home next weekend, continuing CAA play with home
matches against Towson and Delaware on Friday and Saturday, respectively.
