- Mason fell to La Salle in straight sets on Sunday afternoon.
- The Patriots stayed close in the opening set of competition but could not overcome large leads by La Salle in the final two sets.
- Senior Catie Espinoza collected 15 digs for the Patriots.
FINAL: Mason 0, La Salle 3 (PDF Box Score)
ShaLi Niu – 7 kills; Emily Konchan – 18 assists; Catie Espinoza – 15 digs
Philadelphia – George Mason University women's volleyball dropped its final road match of the weekend to La Salle on Sunday afternoon. The Patriots fell in straight sets to the Explorers to drop to 5-4 in the Atlantic 10 and 7-12 overall.
Coming into Sunday's match, both teams sat tied for third in A-10 standings. The Explorers improved to 6-3 in conference play to sit in sole possession of third, while the Patriots fall to fourth in the rankings.
"The competition in the Atlantic 10 is only getting better and we need to be able to compete every day and today that just didn't happen," said head coach
Aylene Ilkson. "We are going to get back to work tomorrow to prepare for a solid George Washington team."
In the opening set, Mason came out strong leading 10-5, forcing La Salle to call a timeout. Out of the La Salle timeout, the Explorers went on a 6-1 run to even the score 11-11. The Explorers finished the set on a 6-1 run to claim the opening game 25-18.
In the second set, La Salle found itself with the early lead after five-straight points for a 9-4 advantage. Out of the Mason timeout, La Salle continued to dominate going on an 8-2 run. The Patriots simply could not weather the Explorers' attack as La Salle won the set 25-8.
To start the third set, the Explorers went on a 7-1 run to extend its lead 12-6. Coming out of the timeout, Mason could not find its offensive rhythm as La Salle continued to make runs of its own. The Explorers claimed the final set 25-11 to take the match in straight sets.
NOTABLE STATS
- La Salle hit .276 compared to Mason's -.009.
- The Explorers out blocked the Patriots seven to three.
- La Salle had the advantage in services aces with seven compared to Mason's one.
UP NEXT
The Patriots conclude their five-game road stretch on Thursday, taking on George Washington (8-13, 2-7) at 7 p.m. at the Charles E. Smith Center.
