KINGSTON, R.I. – The George Mason women's volleyball team won their A-10 opener for the second-straight year, downing Rhode Island 3-1 on the road.
 
The Patriots (5-8, 1-0) were led by Ewelina Gacek (14 kills) and Gabriella Gelfound (10 kills) on the offense as the two combined for an efficient .447 clip with only three errors. Gelfound was also just one dig off of a triple-double, adding a match-high 23 assists and nine digs.
 
It was all Mason in set one as it used several runs to pull ahead by as many as 13 points. After the teams traded points, freshman Caroline Rodriguez stepped up to the service line and drilled two straight aces as a part of her career-best four on the night. The Rams (3-10, 0-1) tied the set at six, but a 7-0 run highlighted by three Olyvia Kennedy kills gave Mason the lead for good. Another 7-0 run stretched the lead to 13 and Mason took set one 25-13.
 
Set two was a back-and-forth battle featuring nine ties. With the score tied at 14-all, the Rams rattled off three-straight points. However, a timeout by the Patriots gave them the reset they needed and they rattled off three of their own to tie the game at 17. The first of three Gelfound kills down the stretch forced a Rhode Island timeout, but the Patriots got the set two win on a Rams' service error.
 
The Rams were able to cut into the match lead, 2-1, by winning set three 25-22. The Rams tallied a match-best five total blocks during the set, limiting Mason to a team-low nine kills. Gelfound tied the set at 21-all, but Rhode Island went on a short 3-0 run with two blocks. The Patriots fought off set point with a block from Rodriguez and classmate Chelsea Colter, but another hitting error ultimately gave URI the 25-22 win.
 
The Patriots finished the match as strong as they started it, using strong defense to limit the Rams to just four kills and a -.059 hitting percentage. Mason jumped out to a 6-1 lead to force an early Rhode Island timeout and later in the set, a 6-0 run powered by kills from three different players and capped by a Gracie Halley service ace put the set out of reach and Mason cruised to a 25-10 victory.
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• As a team, the Patriots tallied a season-high 13 service aces, as Caroline Rodriguez (4) and Olyvia Kennedy (3) registered career-highs
• Gracie Halley led all players with 16 digs and was the third Patriot to register multiple service aces with two
• The middle pair of Chelsea Colter and Camille Larkin both notched a team-high three total blocks
• Using solid defense, Mason forced Rhode Island into 22 attack errors, the second-most by an opponent this season

 
UP NEXT
Mason and Rhode Island will battle again tomorrow, Sept. 23, at noon as the Patriots look to sweep an Atlantic 10 opponent since the 2020-21 season.