Nov. 9, 2007

Box Score

FAIRFAX, Va. - While the George Mason women's volleyball team dropped a 3-1 (30-20, 19-30, 30-23, 30-24) match to Northeastern on Friday night at the Field House, the Patriots did secure a spot in next week's CAA Championship tournament by virtue of a loss by Virginia Commonwealth earlier in the evening.

Mason (14-11, 7-6 CAA) fought valiantly to force its fifth five-game match of the season, but was unable to hold off a Huskies (18-12, 10-3) attack that out-hit the Patriots by a .226-to.148 margin.

The Patriot offense was led by senior Jaqueline Kohler, who recorded 12 kills in her second-to-last home match in the Green and Gold. Joining her in double figures were sophomore Rebecca Walter and Laura Turner, who each chipped in 10 kills. Turner also slammed a game-high 10 blocks, while freshman Fernanda Bartels notched a game-high 42 assists to go with her 10 digs, a team-high matched by senior Kristen Byler. For the Huskies, Lauren DeTurk led with a double-double on 18 kills and 16 digs.

Both teams battled to a near draw early in the game, but a 13-3 Northeastern run put away game one in favor of the Huskies. Mason answered back in the second game with a similar run, breaking a 13-13 deadlock with a 13-3 scoring spree to take control of the second game and level the match going into the break.

The third game proved to be another close affair, but the Huskies took control at 11-11 with a kill to take a lead it would not relinquish for the remainder of the game.

Mason responded with a 10-5 scoring run to open the fourth game, but the Huskies battled back, ultimately tying the game at 14 and taking the lead on a block by Jillian Robinson. The Patriots continued to fight, but could not prevent Northeastern from sealing its 10th CAA victory of the season.

With VCU's 3-1 loss to Delaware, the Patriots are assured of finishing no worse than sixth in the conference, ensuring a spot in next week's conference tournament. Mason will fight to improve its seed tomorrow evening at 7 p.m. when it hosts Hofstra on Senior Night. Prior to the match, Kohler, Byler and fellow senior Melissa Kryfka will be recognized for their outstanding contributions as they take the court for the final regular season game of their careers.