FAIRFAX, Va. - In a hard fought contest, the George Mason men's volleyball team (10-7, 5-3 EIVA) defeated Charleston (W.Va.) in five sets on Saturday afternoon inside the Recreation Athletic Complex (RAC).
 

Senior Sam Greenslade led Mason with 13 kills, nine digs and two service aces. Fellow senior Bryce Gatling recorded 11 kills on 13 attempts, earning a hitting percentage of .846 on the day. That mark is good for top ten in Mason history for single match hitting percentage (nine attack attempts minimum).

Redshirt freshman Zach Talamoa played a key role in the Patriots' success on Saturday, as the setter notched 42 assists and produced big play after big play right when the Patriots needed it.

The Patriots took control early, defeating the Golden Eagles 25-18 in the first game. Mason built their lead to as much as 10 in the first set, as Gatling earned a set-sealing kill to give the Patriots an early lead.

Despite the early dominance, Charleston fought back and won the next two sets. The Patriots were able to battle back and take the fourth game trailing in only two instances in the set.

In the fifth set, the Golden Eagles earned the first two points of the final game but Mason went on a 10-4 run as they led by a score of 10-6 shortly after the teams switched sides halfway through the set. Ultimately, the Green & Gold were able to pull through and record their fifth conference win of the season, continuing to put themselves in a good position for postseason play.

"Not the prettiest volleyball, but getting a win is always a good thing," head coach Jay Hosack said. "It's better to be ugly and effective than just ugly. We have to work on our serve receive passing if we are going to compete at the highest level. That, to me, is the biggest place we are struggling right now. If we can solidify that back up I like where we are."

UP NEXT

The Patriots will remain home and host Ohio State on Saturday, March 14, at 5 p.m. inside the RAC. The game will be streamed live on ESPN+.