BALTIMORE, Md. – The George Mason women's volleyball team tabbed its second straight victory with a four-set win over Saint Francis on Saturday morning. The Patriots finished the Retriever Challenge with a 2-1 record to improve to 2-3 on the season.
"This morning was a good challenge for us, both offensively and defensively," said head coach
Aylene Ilkson. "We had a lot of attackers doing some nice things and then pulling together some scrappy defense. We have a big week ahead of us and I think getting these wins helped get us in a good place for the battle."
Mason returns home for a midweek matchup with Navy at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 10 at the RAC in Fairfax, Va.
Sophomore
ShaLi Niu tabbed her first double-double of the season with 12 kills and 12 digs to lead the Patriots. Senior
Bailey Williams added a team-high 13 kills and eight digs while sophomore
Peyton Ehmke tabbed eight kills at a .333 clip.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS – 25-22, 25-17, 22-25, 25-11
- The first set saw eight ties but a late 4-0 scoring run allowed the Patriots to claim the set, 25-22.
- With freshman Stephanie Der behind the service line, Mason rattled off five straight points to extend its lead 12-4 in the second set. The Patriots finished the set with three straight points, including two kills from Siron Hardy.
- The third set of play saw eight ties but SFU managed to score four straight points late in the stanza to take the set, 25-22.
- A dominating 13-2 run proved to be the deciding factor in the decisive fourth set, with Mason winning 25-11.
- The Patriots posted a season-high 18 blocks, including five from senior Kelly Fagan.
- Mason recorded its highest hitting percentage of the season, .265, behind Erin Derick's second double-double in as many days with 36 assists and 12 digs.
- SFU notched seven service aces compared to Mason's two; however, Der sealed the match with an ace.
UP NEXT
Mason returns home for a midweek matchup with Navy at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 10 at the RAC in Fairfax, Va.
