FAIRFAX, Va. - The George Mason men's volleyball team won
its fourth-consecutive conference match with a 3-0 sweep of Rutgers-Newark on
Friday evening at The RAC.
Mason improved to 12-15 overall and 8-5 in the EIVA with a
straight-set win, 25-20, 25-19, 28-26. The Scarlet Raiders finished their
season with an overall record of 10-15 and 2-12 in the conference.
The Patriots opened the match with two consecutive points,
only to see R-N score four unanswered to go up 4-2, a lead it maintained until
Mason was able to tie the match at 15-15 with a kill from junior setter Javier
Perez. Mason then went on a 5-0 run fueled by a kill and service ace from
junior outside hitter Mark Jones and three Scarlet Raider attack errors to go
up 20-15. Rutgers-Newark scored the next point, but the Patriots used a 4-0 run
to grab a 24-19 lead and looked poised to wrap up the set before the Scarlet
Raiders dug their way back into the match with four unanswered of their own to
pull back to within four, 24-20. However, junior outside hitter Michael Kvidahl
came up with a big kill to secure the set, 25-20.
Again jumping out to an early lead in the second set Mason
opened with a 10-4 run only to see R-N climb back into the set with a 7-4 run
to pull to within three points, 14-11. However, Mason took control of the match
with three consecutive points to take back its six point lead, 17-11, and
maintained the advantage the rest of the way as it cruised to the 25-19 win.
The third set was closely contested, as neither team was
able to seize more than a three point lead early on in the set. With Mason
leading 15-13, the Patriots looked poised to close the set as it went on a 6-2
run to leave the score at 21-15. However, the Scarlet Raiders mounted a comeback,
rallying with a 10-3 run to knot the game at 25-25. R-N took the lead on the
next point with a kill from Grant Metheny but the Patriots were able to stand
their ground, taking back the momentum with a big kill from Kvidahl, a R-N
error and a key block assist by freshman middle blocker Hunter Stevens and
junior outside hitter Andrew Dentler for the final three points of the match
and the final 28-26 set margin.
Dentler finished the match with a team-high 11 kills and
nine digs, while Jones chipped in 10 kills. Perez finished with a game-high 30
assists and personal-best seven blocks, and Stevens also finished with seven
blocks.
Austin Pappas had a game-high 13 kills and two service aces,
while Manuel Felipez dished out 27 assists.
The Patriots conclude regular season action tomorrow
afternoon, hosting Princeton at 4:00 pm on senior day, where Joe Norton will be
recognized before the match for his contributions during his five seasons with
the team.
