FAIRFAX, Va. - The George Mason men's volleyball team
surrendered the first set but responded to win the next three as it topped St.
Francis, 3-1, on Friday evening at the RAC.
Mason (8-13, 4-4 EIVA) led by as many as four points, 13-9,
early in the first set, but the Red Flash (10-13, 5-5 EIVA) went on a 3-0 run
to pull back to within one point, 13-9. The Patriots responded with a 3-0 run
of their own to push the lead back to four points (16-12), only to see St.
Francis go on a 10-4 run to assume a 22-20 lead and eventually claim the set,
25-22.
Trailing 8-3 to open the second set, Mason went on a 7-2
run, tying the match at 10-10. The Red Flash grabbed the lead back with three unanswered
points, but the Patriots rattled off five points of their own, taking a 15-13
lead. Both teams battled the rest of the way, playing to a 20-20 draw, but the
Patriots closed the set on a 5-1 run to win, 25-21.
Strong play powered the Patriots in the third set, as the
team used several runs to assume its largest lead of the set, 17-8. The Red Flash pulled back to within four points, 20-16, late in the set but Mason stopped
the rally with a 5-3 scoring advantage in the closing points, winning by a
margin of 25-19.
Again playing from behind early in the fourth set (7-3),
Mason grabbed the lead for good with six unanswered points to go up, 9-7. The
run featured kills from junior middle blocker Piotr Dabrowksi, junior outside
hitter Andrew Dentler and three-consecutive service aces from junior outside
hitter Michael Kvidahl. St. Francis was unable to respond, as Mason won the
final set, 25-18.
Dentler finished with a game-high 19 kills, while junior outside
hitter Mark Jones added 11 kills and Kvidahl chipped in 10. Dabrowski had a
game-high six blocks, junior setter
Javier Perez dished out a game-high 42 assists, and junior libero Max McFarland
contributed a game-high 12 digs.
The Red Flash received a team-high 11 kills from sophomore
outside hitter Logan Patterson, and senior setter Ryan Williams handed out 33
assists.
Mason returns to action tomorrow, hosting No. 8 Penn State
at 7:00 pm.
