LOS ANGELES, Calif. - The George Mason men's volleyball team
started its West Coast trip with a 3-0 loss to No. 2 USC on Friday evening.
The Trojans swept the match with set scores of 25-18, 25-16,
25-21.
In the match, the Patriots (7-12) were limited to just .014
hitting compared to .273 for USC. The Trojans also held a 33-25 advantage in
kills and a 10.5-6 edge in team blocks.
The Patriots registered the first two points of the match
but then quickly fell behind, as the Trojans went on a 5-0 run to take the
lead. Mason pulled to within three points (18-15) late in the set but it would
not be enough as the Trojans claimed the 25-18 win.
Another early 5-0 run in the second set put the Trojans
ahead and the Patriots were unable to rally, eventually falling, 25-16.
Mason battled in the third set, playing to a 14-14 draw
before another key five-point run put USC up, 19-14, a lead it maintained the
remainder of the way to win, 25-21'.
The Patriots were paced by seven kills apiece from Mark
Jones and Michael Kvidahl, with Jones also contributing 12 assists and three
blocks.
USC received a game-high 13 kills from Tony Ciarelli, and
Michah Christenson dished out 27 assists. Tanner Jansen and Robert Feathers
each finished with four blocks.
Mason returns to action tomorrow evening, facing No. 7
Pepperdine at 10:00 pm.
