CAMBRIDGE, Mass. - A strong hitting performance helped the George
Mason men's volleyball team open EIVA play with a 3-0 sweep of Harvard on
Friday evening at the Malkin Athletic Center.
Mason won its first conference match of the season with set
scores of 25-21, 25-21, 26-24.
As a team Mason hit .392 for the match, its highest hitting
percentage of the season, including hitting .500 in the third set (16K, 3E,
26TA). The team also posted 11.5 total team blocks for the match (21BA, 1BS).
Junior outside hitter Mark Jones posted an impressive .529
hitting percentage (11K, 2E, 17TA), while redshirt junior Andrew Dentler hit
.462 (16K, 4E, 26TA).
The Patriots (4-5, 1-0 EIVA) struck early in the first set
and never trailed, fueled by 14 combined kills from six different players,
including six by Dentler. Mason started the set on a 3-0 run and eventually
pushed its lead to as many as seven points (10-3). Harvard (5-1, 0-1 EIVA)
pulled back to within two points (15-13), but a 3-0 run that featured two kills
from redshirt senior outside hitter Joe Norton and one kill from freshman
middle blocker Hunter Stevens gave Mason an 18-13 edge as they cruised to the
25-21 set victory.
The second set played closer, as both squads battled to a
17-17 draw late in the set. A kill from Jones and an attack error by Harvard's
Nick Madden gave Mason a 19-17 lead, which it did not relinquish the rest of
the set. The Crimson scored the next point of the set (19-18), but the Patriots
used a 5-0 run to assume a commanding 24-18 lead. The run started with a kill
by junior middle blocker Piotr Dabrowski, followed by a Harvard attack error,
two kills from Dentler and another Harvard attack error. The Crimson responded
with three consecutive points to pull to within 24-21 but it was not enough as
Mason captured the set off of a service error by HU's DJ White.
In another closely contested set, the third set started with
the squads playing to an early 5-5 tie. Mason went on a 4-0 run to assume a 9-5
edge and eventually extended that margin to five points, 14-9, for its largest
lead of the match. The Crimson battled back to tie the match at 18-18 and took
its first lead of the set at 20-19. Both teams exchanged points down the
stretch, playing to 24-24 before Jones came up with two big kills to secure
the set (26-24) and match for Mason.
Dentler led Mason's offense, posting a game-high and
season-high 16 kills while also chipping in six block assists. Jones finished
with 11 kills, and redshirt freshman setter Pete Cuppernull added a game-high
35 assists. Dabrowski had a game-high eight block assists while also
contributing four kills.
Harvard was paced by 11 kills from Matt Jones, who also had
a team-high two blocks. Rob Lothman finished with 34 assists.
The Patriots return to action tomorrow as they face Sacred
Heart at 8:00 pm.
