Fairfax, VA – George Mason won the second game against the University of Charleston on Saturday in West Virginia. Scores of the match were 17-25, 25-21, 23-25, 27-25 and 16-14. The Patriots record is now 6-6.

Game Recap:

Mason started the first set with a point and it quickly turned into a close game, with a tied game very early on. It was an early indicator of how close the game would be. Charleston had a four point lead of 12-8 and Mason called for a time out. However, Charleston maintained a constant six point lead and Mason was not able to close the gap. Charleston won the first set, 25-17.

Second set started with an ace by Liam French. Mason got an early lead 6-2 and Charleston called for a timeout in hopes to stop the Patriots. Charleston slowly closed the score gap and managed to tie the Patriots 9-9. GMU called for a timeout and got the lead back by having a four point run. Omar Hoyos with a big dig brought the Patriots to 15-13 and then we managed to take the biggest lead in the game by five points. Charleston kept attacking and brought the score closer to 21-18. However, the Patriots kept the lead and with a kill by Liam French, Mason won the second set 25-21. 

The third set was another close game. It was a back and forth game with a lot of even set points. Mason took the lead 11-10 during the middle of the game but Charleston responded with a 3 point lead. Mason called for a timeout which helped the Patriots close the gap. Both teams wanted to keep a lead but kept tying the score. After being tied again at 18-18, UC took a point after a timeout which gave them a point advantage. Charleston took the third set 25-23.

Fourth set was a crucial game for the Patriots. Lucas Little gave Mason an early lead of 7-6 and Charleston quickly took the lead back. However, Mason did not give up and tied it up 8-8. Liam French and Omar Hoyos gave the Patriots the lead but University of Charleston called for a timeout to stop Mason from getting more momentum. The Patriots lost the lead and after a Mason timeout, the Patriots managed to tie the game. Mason took a one point lead 23-22 and we had another tie, 25-25. Battling to take the 4th set, Mason ended up taking home the fourth set after a hard fought battle. 

Mason got the first point during the fifth set. Charleston defense covered Liam French to stop him from scoring. Mason was behind 4 points early in the game and after a timeout, Mason started closing the gap to 6-7. University of Charleston responded with a timeout and we were back to another close game. Mason did not give up and managed to score and tie the game to 14-14. Same Peters and Omar Hoyos with a big block, take the lead 15-14. Mason battled back and won the fifth set and the game! Final score of the fifth set was 16-14. 
 
 By the Numbers:

• A career-high of kills for the outside hitter Liam French recording 22 kills and four service aces as well
• Senior middle blocker Sam Peters continued his defensive work with five blocks
• Setter Troy McDonald continues to be the man for assists giving out 47 assists, one away from tying a career high of 48
• Paul Wyszynski recorded a career-high of 14 digs in one game
• George Mason recorded a hitting percentage of .224 and Charleston had a .280 hitting percentage

Up Next:
George Mason will have one conference game against Princeton in New Jersey on March 1st and the first home game for the Patriots will be on March 2nd against Saint Francis University at 5 pm.