- Mason won its conference opener over Charleston (W.Va) on Saturday night.
- Junior Hayden Wagner hit at a career-high .600 clip for 19 kills and only one error.
- The Patriots improve to 5-1 on the season, their best start since 2011.
FINAL: Mason 3, Charleston (W.Va.) 1 (PDF Box Score)
Wagner – 19 kills; Velez – 24 assists; Calaman – five digs
Charleston, W.Va. – The George Mason men's volleyball team started conference play with a 3-1 victory over University of Charleston (W.Va.) on Saturday night. The Patriots are off to their best start since 2011 for an overall record of 5-1 and EIVA record of 1-0.
Several Patriots celebrated career-highs in the EIVA opener: Payne (8 blocks), Wagner (.600 pct) and Barnes (T-3 service aces). In addition, Mason hit a season-high .411 to now lead the nation in single-match hitting percentage in a four-set match.
"Super proud of how my boys played this weekend," said head coach
Jay Hosack. "Charleston is a much improved team, and they are going to surprise some teams if they are not prepared. Lots to work on, but I like where we are at for January."
In the opening set of play, the Golden Eagles acted on a Patriot slow start by jumping out to a 7-3 lead. By the middle of the set, the Patriots attacked with full strength, going on an 8-2 scoring run to take a 22-20 lead. The Green & Gold fought off a Golden Eagle comeback to claim the final two points of the set, 25-23.
In the second set, both teams rattled off points for multiple ties early on. A three point scoring run by the Golden Eagles opened their lead, 20-16. The Patriots roared back with a 6-2 scoring run of their own to tie up the set, 22-22. Ultimately, the final three points of the second went to Charleston for a final score of 25-22. At the end of the second, Wagner had tabbed 10 kills on no attacking errors for a .667 clip.
Mason dominated in the early stages of the third set. Four straight points by the Green & Gold gave them a 11-5 lead in the set. The attacked continued for the Patriots, totaling eight straight points to lead 15-5. Mason cruised to the set win, 25-11.
In the final set of the evening, another big scoring run by the Patriots extended their lead, 14-6. Mason ended the fourth set on a 6-3 run to seal the set win, 25-18.
NOTABLE STATS
- Payne's career-high eight blocks is the second highest mark in the nation in a four-set match.
- Mason outblocked Charleston 13 to 4.5. The Patriots' mark is a season-high.
- Redshirt sophomore Luis Velez (24) and senior Justin Coleman (18) guided Mason's offense to its best hitting percentage of the season.
UP NEXT
Mason returns home to host Charleston (W.Va) at 7 p.m. on Jan. 25 at the Recreation Athletic Complex.
