Patriots Drop Five-Set Thriller to Norfolk State

Women's Volleyball 1/24/2021 8:11:00 PM

Box Score NORFOLK, Va. – The George Mason women's volleyball team came up on the short side of a five-set thriller on Sunday evening in Norfolk, Va.

The Patriots dropped a 3-2 decision to Norfolk State to move to 0-2 on the young season.

"Tonight was definitely a tough loss to swallow," said head coach Aylene Ilkson. "But there were certainly some highlights from our team that I'm excited about. The duo of Marlanna Bozicevich and Stephanie Der is outstanding. I was so proud of Christina Walker for coming in and stepping up. We still have a lot of work to do before A-10 play and this only gave us more motivation to work harder."

Mason's comeback effort was powered by a balanced offensive attack and strong defensive effort. Six Patriots finished with at least five kills in the match.

Junior Peyton Ehmke tied her career high in kills (17) while rookie Katelyn Clarke notched her first career double-double with 11 kills and 13 digs.

On defense, four Patriots registered at least 10 digs. Junior Marlanna Bozicevich steadied Mason's backline with a career-high 27 digs.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

Mason suffered a five-set loss to Norfolk State – 20-25, 25-16, 18-25, 25-19, 12-15.
Mason tallied 60 kills compared to Norfolk State's mark of 48. But, the Spartans outhit the Patriots .153 to .130.
The Spartans hit .217 with nine kills on 23 attempts in the fifth set. They also recorded three service aces in the frame.
Junior setter Erin Derick notched her ninth career double-double with 51 assists and 11 digs.
Sophomore Jewel Clark registered a career-high nine kills and added three blocks.
In her first career match, sophomore Christina Walker recorded seven kills on a .353 clip. All seven of her kills came in the fourth set.
Sophomore Stephanie Der added 10 digs and two service aces.
Mason recorded eight service aces, including four from Clarke.