Feb. 6, 2009

Box Score

COLUMBUS, Ohio - George Mason won its second consecutive road match against a ranked opponent when it defeated No. 12 Ohio State in five games on Friday evening at St. John Arena in Columbus, Ohio. The victory comes one night after the Patriots defeated No. 13 Ball State in three games.

The fifth game was a back-and-forth affair featuring 13 ties and three lead changes. Mason had four chances to close out the match but each time the Buckeyes answered with a kill to tie the score. Leading 18-17, the Patriots put an end to the match on a service ace by Brandon Joyner.

Mason got off to a slow start in the first game, losing by a score of 30-18 after hitting -.062. After the tough start, the attack steadily improved throughout the match, as the Patriots hit .163, .214, .282 and .370 in the following four games.

The increase in hitting efficiency led to wins in the next two games as Mason won by scores of 30-27 and 30-24. With the Patriots on the verge of putting an end to the match, Ohio State took the fourth game 30-25 to force the deciding fifth game.

Five Patriots finished with double-digit kills in the match, including Kyle Gramit (21), Brandon McLaughlin (14), Ben Nichols (12), Luke Maloney (11) and Erik Lanham (10). Setter Ryan Kwiatkowski notched a double-double with 58 assists and 10 digs. Libero Eric Lucas led Mason with 18 digs.

Steven Kehoe recorded a double-double with 60 assists and 18 digs for the Buckeyes. John Klanac led Ohio State with 18 kills on .361 hitting.

George Mason had 18.5 team blocks to improve its record to 4-1 on the season. Lanham led the way with eight total blocks in the match. Ohio State totaled 14 blocks in the loss. The Buckeyes record stands at 4-5 on the season.

The Patriots play again on Friday, Feb. 13 at 8 p.m. in the opening round of the Volleyball Hall of Fame Morgan Classic Tournament against Springfield College in Springfield, Mass.