VCU Women’s Volleyball beats George Mason in close Atlantic 10 matchup, 3-2
VCU goes up to block a GMU kill attempt. Photo by Andrew Hill
Malachi Keys, Contributing Writer
VCU Women’s Volleyball defeated the George Mason Patriots in a 3-2 set victory on the home floor on Saturday afternoon.
After beating Davidson three sets to one on Oct. 28, the Rams were set to face another Atlantic 10 conference opponent, the Patriots, who were coming off of a win earlier in the week.
VCU came out firing on all cylinders in the first set. The team took a hold of an early 9-3 lead and never looked back during the set.
VCU junior outside hitter Kialah Jefferson and VCU senior middle blocker Jasmine Knight came out swinging and finished with seven and six kills in the first set respectively.
The Rams went on to dominate the set, leading by as much as 11 points, and won the first set by a score of 25-15.
In the second set, George Mason was more competitive.
The Patriots led at one point 19-13, however, after a crucial timeout by VCU head coach Tim Doyle, the Rams rallied back, winning the set 25-22.
The third set proved to be a turning point for GMU as they led yet again, but did not give up the lead.
The Rams made it competitive down the stretch, but GMU would pull away and win the third set 25-23.
“I thought their [GMU] overhead offense really came alive,” Doyle said. “Some of that was from their overhead attackers. It was a huge trouble spot for us and that proved again in set four.”
Momentum was clearly on the side of the Patriots and was evident through their energy and play on the court in the fourth set.
GMU was able to get the ball down for kills, and with VCU struggling to dig the out, the visiting team got a 17-10 lead.
VCU attempted to rally, but were unsuccessful and the fourth 25-22, an inverse of the second set.
The fifth set was the tiebreaker.
VCU managed an early 5-1 advantage. Jefferson finished with a double-double of 24 kills and 14 digs, according to StatBroadcast.
“We were down, and I was the option that we had,” Jefferson said. “I just kept kind of swinging until I found it, and once I found some room, I ran away with it.”
VCU never gave up their lead in the fifth set and went on to win the set by a score of 15-8.
Senior outside hitter Ana Brangioni wants to make sure they win again against GMU Sunday at 1 p.m, she said.
“Knowing that it’s senior weekend, it is my last weekend playing on this court, and we want to win,” Brangioni said.
