FAIRFAX, Va. – The George Mason men's volleyball team (5-6, 0-4 EIVA) earned a victory in four sets (25-16, 22-25, 25-18, 31-29) against Fairleigh Dickinson (2-7, 0-0 IVA) on Friday night inside the Recreation Athletic Complex.
Mason started the match with a slight advantage over Fairleigh Dickinson before the Knights came back to tie the game and eventually go point for point for a majority of the first set. The Patriots were able to pull away from the Knights to earn the win in the first set by a sizeable margin.
Each set there on out started in a point for point battle, proving the fight this first year Fairleigh Dickinson program had in them. The Knights came out on top in the second set, ultimately forcing the Patriots to earn their victory in four sets. The Patriots then bounced back to win the third set in the same fashion they did the first.
Mason, down for the first portion of the fourth set, was able to regroup to force nine different match points. Just like the beginning of the sets, the Patriots and the Knight's were in a point-to-point battle, eventually earning Mason a win at 31 points in the fourth set.
" We gutted out a four-set win and I am happy about that," said Head Coach
Jay Hosack. "We had a good week of practice, but we still have to apply it every match. We are learning."
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
- Sophomore Omar Hoyos led the offensive momentum for the Patriots, tallying match highs and team highs in kills (19) and service aces (3).
- This marks the third consecutive match where Hoyos has tallied three or more service aces.
- The outside hitter Hoyos led the team on the defensive end as well, recording a team high eight digs.
- Redshirt sophomore Chey Cooper came off the bench strong, earning a 0.312 hitting percentage (seven kills on 16 attempts), one service ace, and three digs.
- Redshirt sophomore Jack Bolz was a team leader in kills (9).
- Sophomore Colin Heath started at libero for the Patriots, his first appearance in that position this season.
- Hoff and senior Richie Hoff led the team in digs, both recording seven each.
- Freshman Lucas Little led the match in blocks, tallying eight (one solo) in four sets played.
- Hoyos led the team in hitting percentage (0.533), notching 19 kills on 30 attempts.
- Redshirt junior Zach Talamoa notched a new career high in assists, recording 50 in the match.
- Mason outhit Fairleigh Dickinson, 28.9 percent to the Knights' 15.9 percent.
- Mason tallied 52 kills to Fairleigh Dickinson's 42.
- Fairleigh Dickinson recorded two service aces to Mason's eight.
UP NEXT
Mason will close out Alumni Weekend with a match against Princeton on Saturday Feb. 26 with first slated for 5 P.M. inside the RAC.
