Box Score PHILADELPHIA - When the women's volleyball team took the court Friday night at Tom Gola Arena, it marked the first time that a George Mason squad would compete in Atlantic 10 Conference action. The Patriots wasted no time in announcing their arrival, dominating host La Salle in a 3-0 victory with set scores of 25-17, 25-20, 25-12.
The Patriots (5-10, 1-0 A-10) were led by a 12-kill outing from sophomore Morghan Martin, who swung .391 for the match. Freshman Jessie Greenslade and redshirt sophomore Lolade Owokoniran each contributed five block assists, while senior Tori Price added 34 assists and sophomore Bernetta Moore posted 15 digs, all match highs.
Phoebe Cook scored eight kills to lead the Explorers (1-17, 0-1), who dropped their 17th straight match. Mason dominated on offense, hitting .315 compared to .021 for La Salle.
Mason never trailed in the opening set after an 8-4 run to begin the contest. The Patriots extended their lead to 19-10 as part of a larger 11-4 scoring stretch, and the Explorers could get no closer than five points. A Patriots error made it 22-17, but a block by Martin and senior Laura Spencer was followed up by the duo each recording a kill, giving Mason the first set.
The most competitive set of the evening, the teams were even at 11-all in the second set. Mason took a two-point lead and never looked back, extending their advantage to 21-15 with five unanswered points. La Salle got to a 24-20 deficit but Greenslade slammed a kill on a feed from Price to send the Patriots into the intermission up two sets to none.
Out of the break, it was all Green and Gold. Mason opened the third frame with a 10-1 run and their lead was never threatened. La Salle could advance no closer than eight points as the Patriots capitalized on 11 Explorer hitting errors in the frame and Mason cruised to its first-ever A-10 victory.
Mason continues its first conference road trip on Saturday night, traveling to Fordham for a 7 p.m. first serve in the Bronx.
