WASHINGTON, D.C. – Despite multiple career-highs from several players, the George Mason women's volleyball team fell to George Washington in five sets in the first Revolutionary Rivalry match of the season.
 
Three players set career-highs on the attack as Nani Spaar (20), Gabriella Gelfound (19) and Haley Graetz (6) all set personal-bests in kills. Spaar and Gelfound also tallied double-doubles as Spaar added 10 digs and Gelfound notched 21 assists.
 
The Revolutionaries (6-10, 3-2) led for all of set one, as they limited their errors and hit at a match-best .455. Mason would get within two, 11-9, but a 4-0 run by the hosts held it off as they cruised to a 25-21 win and a 1-0 match lead.
 
The Patriots (6-11, 2-3) flipped the script in set two to tie the match. The teams traded points and GW got within one, 10-9, but a short 5-1 run by Mason gave it the 15-10 lead at the media timeout. Spaar and Gelfound led the Patriot offense with four kills each, while strong defense highlighted by Graetz's three blocks minimized a GW comeback and Mason tied the match 1-1.
 
After Mason and George Washington traded points, the Patriots used a 5-1 run to build an 11-6 lead and force a GW timeout. The Patriots used strong defense to allow no runs by the Revolutionaries down the stretch and limiting GW to a match-low .080 hitting percentage. A kill by Camille Larkin closed the door on the 25-15 win.
 
Set four featured 11 tie scores and five lead changes as the teams combined for 62 points. Mason led 3-5, but George Washington was able to string together eight-straight points to force a Mason timeout. The Patriots battled back to get within one several times until another 4-0 run gave GW a 20-15 lead. Facing match point 24-19, the Patriots battled to tie the set at 24-all led by Ewelina Gacek at the service line. The teams traded points and the lead until 30-30 when the Revolutionaries took the set on a kill and a Mason error.
 
George Washington used the set four momentum to build a 4-0 lead in the fifth, but four-straight kills from Spaar tied the set. GW bounced back and led 10-6 to force a Mason timeout, and the Patriots came out firing to tie the match again at 12. The set was tied six more ties, lastly when a Gacek kill tied it at 17-all, but a GW block gave the hosts the 3-2 win.
 
PATRIOT POINTS

• Haley Graetz added a career-high six blocks to her career-high six kills
• Gabriella Gelfound registered her seventh double-double of the season with her career-high 19 kills and 21 assists. She also added four blocks, six digs and an ace
• Damiana Bova-Ford matched her career-high with 29 assists and was one dig off of a double-double with nine digs
• Gracie Halley led all players with 19 digs and added a game-high three service aces and six assists
• Ewelina Gacek also registered double-figure kills with 11
• Three other players tallied multiple blocks: Camille Larkin (3), Gacek (2) and Spaar (2)

 
UP NEXT
The Patriots will travel to Dayton to take on the No. 20 Flyers on Friday, Oct. 6 and Saturday, Oct. 7. Live stream will be available on ESPN+.