FAIRFAX, Va. – George Mason women's volleyball opened the 2023 season in exciting fashion on Saturday despite dropping both matches to American and Georgetown.
 
GAME ONE: AMERICAN
In game one of the DC Challenge, the Patriots (0-2) dropped a five-set thriller to the Eagles: 18-25, 25-21, 23-25, 25-21, 15-17. The outside hitting duo of junior Ewelina Gacek and Nani Spaar both set career-highs in kills with 18 and 19, respectively. Spaar also contributed 14 digs for another career-high and her first career double-double.
 
In set one, American (2-0), jumped out to a 10-3 lead and never looked back. Patriot League Preseason Player of the Year Zeynep Uzen set the tone, converting nine of her match-high 21 kills in the opening frame.
 
Set two proved to be a back-and-forth battle, much like the match, as there were 11 tie scores and five lead changes. Down 21-20, the Patriots scored the final five points of the set, highlighted by three Gabriella Gelfound kills to tie the match at one-a-piece.
 
The Patriots used the momentum from set two to keep a lead throughout the first half of the third set, building an 18-14 lead to force an Eagles' timeout. Similar to Mason's set two comeback, the Eagles were able to power themselves to a 25-23 win, scoring the set's final five points.
 
It was all Mason in the fourth set, as it jumped out to an 8-3 lead, highlighted by two Taylor Terry aces. As a team, the Patriots hit at a game-high .255 efficiency with five players notching at least one kill. Spaar had her best set, putting down eight kills on 16 attempts with just one error. The Patriots cruised to the 25-21 win to force the fifth set on Terry's lone kill of the set.
 
Six tie scores and four lead changes made for an exciting fifth set. The two teams traded points as Mason reached eight points first on a Spaar kill at the side switch. The Patriots were able to get within one point of the victory, 14-11, but two kills each from Holly Hopkins and Adelina Berisha an several forced Mason errors opened the door for the Eagles' comeback and the victory.
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS: AMERICAN

• Damiana Bova-Ford notched her second career double-double on 26 assists and 11 digs while fellow setter Grace Kristofic was one assists off of her career-high with 27
• Taylor Terry set career-highs with six blocks (five assists, one block) and four aces
• Gabriella Gelfound had one of the best offensive days of her young career, putting down 12 kills on 20 attempts with just two errors
• As a team, Mason out-blocked American 15.0-7.0, as Gelfound (four assists, one solo), Camille Larkin (five assists) and freshman Chelsea Colter (four assists, one solo) all contributed five each
• Libero Gracie Halley led the Mason defense with 17 digs in her Green & Gold debut

 
GAME TWO: GEORGETOWN
Georgetown (2-0) used efficient hitting to sweep the Patriots 15-25, 19-25, 23-25. Gacek once again led the Mason offense and was one of two players in the match to eclipse double-digit kills with 10 at a .259 clip. Despite struggling at the net, Camille Larkin starred at the service line, notching a career-high five aces to go with a team and career-high five blocks. 
 
It was all Hoyas in set one as the Patriots struggled to get their offense going, hitting just .033 to Georgetown's .417. Spaar kept Mason in the set with three-straight kills and a solo block to bring the team within seven, but Georgetown kept the rest of the Patriots at bay.
 
The Hoyas jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the second set, eventually building a 16-9 lead that was finally stopped by three kills from Gacek and one from freshman Chelsea Colter to get back within three. However, the Hoyas were able to capitalize one several Patriot errors and pull out the 25-19 win.
 
Set three featured four ties and two lead changes as Mason continued to battle. Despite Georgetown jumping out to a 7-1 lead, a timeout allowed the Patriots to reset and fight all the way back to tie it at 13-13. Larkin tallied all five aces in the span of eight points as three different Patriots contributed a kill as they took their first lead of the night at 17-14. Down the stretch however, the Hoyas forced seven Mason hitting errors to take back the lead and complete the sweep.
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS: GEORGETOWN

• Halley led the Mason defense with 13 digs
• Colter notched four kills at a .429 clip, a team-best efficiency
• Spaar contributed nine kills, five digs, an ace and two solo blocks. She also had a game-high 29 receptions, committing just two errors for a .931

 
UP NEXT
The Patriots will wrap up the DC Challenge tomorrow, August 27, when they welcome the Howard Bison to the RAC for a 2 p.m. opening serve.