PRINCETON, N.J. - A record-setting 10 service aces from
junior outside hitter Michael Kvidahl helped the George Mason men's volleyball
team down Princeton, 3-0, on Saturday afternoon at Dillon Gym.
The 10 service aces from Kvidahl set a new Mason single-game
record. The previous mark was eight, held by Felix Campos (3/18/04) and Andre
Melo (1/19/01).
Mason won with set scores of 26-24, 25-17, 25-15.
Playing to a 14-14 draw midway through the first set, the
Patriots (7-11, 3-4 EIVA) used a 6-1 run to jump out to a 20-15 lead. Redshirt
junior Andrew Dentler started the run with a kill and was followed by three consecutive
service aces from Kvidahl. An attack error by freshman middle blocker Hunter
Stevens ended the run and gave a point to the Tigers (6-7, 5-5 EIVA), but Mason
tallied two more points for the 20-15 advantage. Princeton rallied to tie the
set at 24-24 with a 9-4 spurt, but Mason closed the set with points from two
Princeton errors to win, 26-24.
Mason controlled the tempo in the second set, never trailing
as it went on to win, 25-17. With the score at 4-3 in favor of the Patriots,
the team used a 3-0 run to assume a 7-3 edge. The squad maintained that margin
the rest of the way as it cruised to the eight-point win.
The third set saw Mason trailing early, 7-6, but the team
rebounded to take the lead at 9-7 with a kill from Dentler and two Princeton
errors. Both teams exchanged a series of points to leave the score at 15-14 in
favor of the Patriots, who then used an impressive 10-1 run to close the set. A
Tiger service error started the run, and Kvidahl continued his impressive
serving, recording three service aces during the streak to give the Patriots
the 25-15 triumph.
In addition to his 10 service aces, Kvidahl finished the day
with eight kills. Dentler lead Mason with 13 kills, while junior Mark Jones
dished out 35 assists and junior middle blocker Piotr Dabrowski recorded a
game-high six blocks.
Princeton was led by 13 kills from Cody Kessel, 29 assists
by Scott Liljestrom and two blocks apiece from Kessel and Will Siroky.
The Patriots will now enjoy a week off, returning to action
on March 23 as they travel to the west coast to face USC at 10:00 pm.
