FAIRFAX, Va. – The George Mason women's volleyball team downed William & Mary, 3-0, to split the final day of the Mason Invitational. The Patriots earned their first sweep of the season with a straight-set win over the Tribe – 25-22, 25-15, 25-13.
"Tonight was a good way to finish the weekend and build momentum heading into A-10 play," said head coach
Aylene Ilkson. "I think we executed really well and took care of the ball. I was proud that we had multiple people contributing and I think this is a great sign of things to come for this program."
In its morning match, Mason fell to Seton Hall in four sets. The Patriots finished non-conference play with an overall record of 4-8. Up next, the Green & Gold begins Atlantic 10 play on Saturday, Sept. 28 at George Washington.
Sophomore
Siron Hardy led the Patriots with 32 kills, 16 digs and three blocks through two matches. She posted her fifth straight match with double-digit kills (15) against William & Mary, also tying her career-high clip of .344.
Senior
Bailey Williams notched 32 kills, 18 digs and five blocks in Saturday's matches. She recorded a season-high 19 kills at a career-high .421 clip. Sophomore
Erin Derick tallied 91 total assists, including a career-high 52 assists against Seton Hall.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS – William & Mary
- Mason hit a season-high .330 in the match, including a clip of .500 in the third set.
- The Patriots totaled 46 digs compared to William & Mary's mark of 29.
- Mason outblocked William & Mary 11 to seven. Peyton Ehmke posted five blocks in the victory, also adding five kills at a .500 clip.
- In her first start of the season, senior Katrina Santos hit .500 with four kills and four blocks.
- The Patriots held the advantage in kills (46), points (61) and assists (41).
- Freshman Stephanie Der was an ace behind the service line, powering Mason on a 6-0 scoring run in the first set. The libero also registered 13 digs in the match.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS – Seton Hall
- The Patriots fell the Pirates, 23-25, 21-25, 25-15, 18-25.
- Mason held the advantage in kills, 64 to 58; but the Patriots tallied more errors than the Pirates, 19 to 11.
- The Pirates outblocked the Patriots 11 to 6.5.
- Mason tallied its highest hitting percentage in the third set, .341. Williams posted five kills in the frame while Ehmke and Hardy added four kills.
- Seton Hall hit .395 in the fourth set to claim the match, 3-1.
- Der registered a career-high 26 digs, with only one reception error.
- Hardy (17k/12d) and Derick (52a/10d) posted double-doubles in the match.
- Ehmke hit a season-high .467 in the match with eight kills and four blocks.
UP NEXT
Mason opens conference play at George Washington at 5 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 28 in Washington, D.C.
