- Mason suffered its first straight-set loss of the season to No. 6 Pepperdine on Tuesday night.
- Junior Hayden Wagner led the Patriots with a match-high 15 kills.
- The Patriots head to Phoenix, Ariz., for a pair of matches against Grand Canyon on Friday and Saturday.
FINAL: Mason 0, Pepperdine 3 (PDF Box Score)
Wagner – 15 kills; Coleman – 30 assists; Barnes – 8 digs
FAIRFAX, Va. – No. 14 George Mason men's volleyball suffered its first straight-set loss of the season to No. 6 Pepperdine on Tuesday night. Mason drops to 12-5 overall while Pepperdine improves to 14-5.
The Patriots put together a valiant effort in the third game to try and force a fourth set, but ultimately came up short against the Waves. Junior
Hayden Wagner led the Patriots with a match-high 15 kills.
"Hats off to Pepperdine," said head coach
Jay Hosack. "They played a great match tonight. When you play a great team, they don't make many mistakes and we did not capitalize on the opportunities we created."
The west coast swing continues for Mason as the Patriots head to Phoenix, Ariz., for a pair of matches against Grand Canyon on Friday and Saturday.
Mason started the match strong, taking a 6-4 lead after a block by
Langston Payne and
Hayden Wagner. The Patriots and the Waves would then exchange points for eight ties in the middle of the set. After the Waves scored back-to-back points, Pepperdine claimed a 19-16 lead. Out of the timeout, Mason was unable to cut the deficit as Pepperdine would go on to take the first set, 25-19. Wagner tabbed seven kills on a .667 clip to lead all hitters after the first set.
The Waves carried their first set momentum into the second stanza, claiming an early 12-7 lead after a four-point scoring run. Out of the timeout, Mason cut Pepperdine's lead to two, 14-12. Redshirt sophomore
Jack Reese collected three kills in the second game to aid in the Patriots' middle-of-the-set comeback. Ultimately, Pepperdine scored seven of the final nine points to win the set, 25-17.
Mason put the first two sets behind them, claiming an early 5-1 lead. Junior
Sam Greenslade played a role in three of the five points. The Waves responded with back-to-back aces to tie up the set, 9-9. Later in the third, the Waves scored three straight points to take a 14-12 advantage, forcing a Mason timeout. The Patriots roared back to take the lead 17-15, thanks to a four point scoring run, which included two kills from Wagner and a Reese service ace. It was a battle down the stretch of the third set, but back-to-back points for Pepperdine gave them a decisive 22-20 advantage. Out of the timeout, Pepperdine claimed three of the final four points for the 25-21 set win.
NOTABLE STATS
- The third set of play saw nine ties and five lead changes, proving the fight of the Patriots.
- The Waves held the advantage defensively, collecting six more blocks (8 to 2) and 10 more digs (33 to 23).
- Both teams tabbed nine service errors, but the Waves' five services aces helped offset the faults.
UP NEXT
Mason plays Grand Canyon at 9 p.m. ET on Friday and Saturday in Phoenix, Ariz.
