FAIRFAX, Va. - The George Mason men's volleyball team fought
a close battle with Loyola-Chicago but came up on the losing end as it fell to
the Ramblers in straight sets on Saturday evening at The RAC.
Loyola-Chicago won with set scores of 25-21, 28-26, 25-23 to
improve to 4-3 overall, while the Patriots dropped to 1-3.
With the first set tied at 8-8, Loyola used a 7-0 run fueled
by three services aces from Joseph Smalzer to go up, 15-8. However, Mason
rallied back with a run of its own to pull to within two points (16-14) and
force a Rambler timeout. Loyola scored the first point out of the timeout and
never let the Patriots get closer than one point en route to the 25-21 win.
A closely-contested second set saw 13 ties and eight lead
changes with neither team gaining more than a two-point advantage. LU-C owned a
10-6 lead before Mason responded to pull back to within one (10-9) with a
three-point run, and eventually tie the match a 11-11. It was a battle the rest
of the set, as both teams exchanged points all the way to a 25-25 draw. Mason
went up 26-25 on a Loyola attack error, but the Ramblers scored the final three
points of the set to escape with the 28-26 triumph.
Loyola scored the first two points of the third set and
never relinquished the lead as it earned the 25-23 set victory. The Patriots
kept it close and remained within one point as it trailed 15-14 at the midway
point. However, it was a four-point Loyola run that put the Ramblers up, 19-14
and forced a Mason timeout. The Patriots pulled to within two points down the
stretch but never overcame the deficit as they fell in straight sets.
Andrew Dentler was the lone Patriot with double-digit kills,
posting a game-high 15. Javier Perez dished out 30 assists, while Shaun Sibley
had a team-best five blocks.
The Ramblers were paced by 13 kills from Smalzer, who also
added three service aces. Diego Rodriguez had 34 assists, and Nicholas Olson
had a match-high six blocks.
The Patriots return to action on Friday, closing a
home-and-home with the Ramblers in Chicago. Gametime is set for 8:00 p.m. EST.
