DAYTON, Ohio – The George Mason women's volleyball team was downed on the road by the No. 20 Flyers on Saturday afternoon.
Graduate student
Nani Spaar led the offense with nine kills, the second-most among all players in the match, adding two digs and the Patriots' lone service ace.
Led by kills from three different players, The Patriots (6-13, 2-5) jumped out to a 5-3 lead early in the set. The Flyers (18-2, 7-0) got ahead, 7-6, but
Caroline Rodriguez and
Damiana Bova-Ford combined for Bova-Ford's first block of the season to tie the set. Dayton would then build their lead on a 10-3 run in the middle of the set, ultimately taking a 1-0 match lead after winning 25-17.
A kill by Spaar gave Mason another 5-3 lead in set two, but a short 4-0 run by Dayton would give it back the lead for good. The Patriots would stay in the set on another kill from Spaar to pull within two, 14-12, but another run across the media timeout pushed the Flyers ahead by five. The teams traded points down the stretch and Dayton pulled out the set two win, 25-19.
The Flyers' high-powered offense carried them through set two, as they converted a match-high 14 kills in the third set. Spaar and
Olyvia Kennedy combined for six kills on 12 attempts with no errors in an efficient set for the two hitters, but it was not enough as Dayton cruised to a 25-14 win.
PATRIOT POINTS
- Damiana Bova-Ford led the Patriots with 14 assists and was one dig off of a double-double with nine
- Camille Larkin had another efficient day, tallying five kills on nine attempts with no errors for a .556 clip
- Six different Patriots recorded at least one kill, included Olyvia Kennedy who was second on the team with six at a .364 clip.
- Defensively, classmate Gracie Halley tallied a team-high 11 digs to go with six assists
UP NEXT
The Patriots return home to host defending A-10 Champions Loyola Chicago on Friday, Oct. 13 and Saturday, Oct. 14 in the RAC.
