George Mason University Athletics

WHO: Women’s Volleyball vs. VCU
WHERE: RAC Gym, Fairfax, Va.
FINAL SCORE: VCU 3, Mason 1
KEY PLAYERS: Tiffany Clarke – 11 kills (match-high), 3 blocks; Jordan Glass – 10 kills, 3 blocks (career-high); Catie Espinoza – 25 digs (match-high); Jessie Greenslade – 8 kills, 7 digs, .467 hitting (match-high)

FAIRFAX, Va. – George Mason University’s women’s volleyball team put in a much better offensive performance than it did on Friday and even won the first set against VCU, but even that was not enough to bring Mason’s first Atlantic 10 Conference win of the season and the Patriots fell to the Rams 3-1 at the RAC on Saturday.

MATCH NOTES

-The better defensive display in comparison to Friday’s match against Davidson translated into two Patriots finishing in double digits. Senior opposite hitter Tiffany Clarke led the team with match-high-tying 11 kills while junior outside hitter Jordan Glass picked up 10 kills. Both of them contributed defensively as Mason’s main block threats by picking up three blocks apiece. With those, Glass tied her career-high performance from the match at VCU last October, except this time around all of her stuffs were solo efforts. Senior outside hitter Jessie Greenslade was the most efficient attacker in the match and one of three Mason players who had eight kills, along with junior middle blocker Sydney Fanoga and freshman outside hitter Bailey Williams. Greenslade also had seven digs and Williams had nine, which were two best digging performances by the Patriots after sophomore libero Catie Espinoza’s outstanding 25 digs.

-Vicky Giommarini recorded 11 kills to share the match-high with Clarke and to lead a VCU team who had four additional players with at least seven kills: Julia Adler and Alica Kandler both had nine; Tori Baldwin contributed eight while along with match-high four blocks; and Gina Tuzzolo added seven for the Rams. Just like in Mason’s camp, VCU’s libero Madalon Simpson picked up the most digs with 18.

-The match and the first set began with seesaw scoring after which Mason was the first team to pull away by two on a kill by Clarke, 5-3. Kills by Kandler brought VCU on level terms at 5 all and 6 all, but the latter was the last time the teams were tied numerous errors by the Rams and a kill by Greenslade allowed the Patriots to go on a 6-0 run and deal the first blow of the match, 12-6. Despite VCU coaches – among whom is former Mason men’s volleyball player Patrick Maloney – taking a timeout, the Patriots’ lead grew to seven at 15-8 on one of Glass’ solo blocks. Head coach Jackie Simpson-Kirr’s team refused to let up as the set progressed and retained its largest lead until 22-15, but that is when VCU responded with its best run of the set to come within three at 23-20. The stars in Mason’s attack – Glass and Clarke – came to the rescue, however, and put away a kill each to ultimately win the set for Mason at 25-20.

-The second set was something of an mirror image of the opening set as it was again the team who pulled away first – this time VCU – which had control for most of the time. A block by Tuzzolo and Baldwin put the Rams up 6-3 for the largest lead by either team early on. A kill by Greenslade, who was also responsible for Mason’s only lead in the set at 1-0, tied the score at 7 all, but VCU went on a massive 10-3 run during which only Glass twice and Williams could get kills for Mason. Kills by Baldwin gave VCU its largest lead at 19-11 and then a solid 21-15 advantage later on, but toward the end of the set the Patriots went on a 11-4 run and had their opponents hold on by a thread. Williams capitalized on an overpass to dunk the ball at the net and to make it 23-22 VCU, but when all the momentum was in Mason’s half of the court, it was VCU’s Giommarini who stepped up for the Rams and picked up back-to-back kills to tie the match at a set apiece, 25-22.

-The third set was by far the most one-sided in the contest, and shaped up that way from the very start. Giommarini carried over her hot hand from before the intermission and had a kill early on while Adler and Jasmine Sneed blocked Glass on a way to VCU’s 3-0 start of the set. Mason managed to get withing one twice on errors by its opponent, but 12 points after the latter of those occasions Simpson-Kirr had already used both of her timeouts as the Patriots trailed 17-9. Fanoga finally put Mason into double digits with a kill for 18-10, but two points later Baldwin and Tuzzolo combined for a block that doubled the Patriots’ points at 20-10. Despite the unfavorable situation in which they were, Simpson-Kirr’s players – led by Williams, Greenslade and Fanoga – went on a 6-1 run to put some pressure on VCU and get the crowd in the RAC going once again. To their misfortune, the Rams had the last word in the set and went on a 4-1 run strongly aided by Simpson’s serving and closed the set at 25-17.

-Another serving sequence, this time Giommarini’s, allowed VCU to pull away and score five unanswered points after the team had been tied at 5-5 at one point. Mason managed to chip away the lead little by little and came within two at 14-12 with a kill by Clarke. Sophomore outside hitter Maddie French’s serving instrumental in the run leading up to that play. VCU’s lead continued yo-yoing between two and four points until a kill by Adler picked up the Rams’ first set point at 24-21. Seniors Clarke and Greenslade took charge and picked up kills as Mason made one last push to force a fifth set, but VCU orchestrated a good side-out play under pressure and a kill by Giommarini closed the set at 25-23 for the Rams’ second-straight 3-1 victory.

STAT BREAKDOWN

-Each team had 49 kills in the match with VCU hitting slightly better as a team – .233 compared to Mason’s .208.

-Mason convincingly outdug its former its in-state rival, 56-42, but the Rams were more concentrated in reception, allowing only three service aces and picking up six themselves.

-Led by Glass and Clarke, Mason had a better blocking night than the Rams and won the battle of the net 7-5.

NEXT ON THE COURT

The Patriots will have two more opportunities to get a home conference win when they welcome Duquesne next Friday and host La Salle for Senior Night the following day.