NEWARK, NJ – Junior right siders Kenneth de Groh and Austin Pappas had 13 kills apiece to lead a balanced attack, but George Mason turned back Rutgers-Newark, 3-1, in an EIVA Tait match in The Golden Dome. Set scores were 21-25, 25-20, 25-21 and 25-23.

BOX SCORE & PLAY-BY-PLAY

De Groh had a match-high 17 points on the 13 kills and four aces while Pappas finished with 13 kills, an ace, two assisted blocks and eight digs. Junior outside hitter Marcin Midura tallied eight kills and four assisted blocks while junior middle hitter Grant Metheny added seven kills, two aces and three assisted blocks. Senior setter Jeff Zornig  piled up 40 assists with four kills, an ace the two assisted blocks for the Raiders while junior libero Zack Chambers had a team-high nine digs.

Sophomore outside hitter Mark Jones had 15 kills and nine digs while junior middle blocker Shaun Sibley got in on eight blocks as as the visiting Patriots (10-3, EIVA Tait 5-0) out hit the Scarlet Raiders (9-2, EIVA Tait 2-2), .380 to .181.

Senior setter Brandon Joyner notched 39 assists, chipped in four kills and got in on five blocks for George Mason while also got nine kills, three aces and four assisted blocks from senior outside hitter Eric Lucas.

Pappas had four kills as Rutgers-Newark rallied from a 14-9 deficit in the deciding game to knot the score at 23-23. But a Sibley kill followed by a Raider attack error ended the 1-hour and 35-minute contest.

Metheny had four kills as the Raiders hit .310 in the opening frame to take the early lead.
But Jones hammered down five kills in just six swings in the second set as the Patriots hit a blistering .588 (12-2-17) to level the match.

Jones and Lucas notched five kills apiece in the third game as George Mason took control of the match by hitting .357 (15-5-28).

Rutgers-Newark visits Princeton on Tuesday in an EIVA Tait contest while George Mason has a full week to prepare for its second meeting with the Raiders next Saturday at 7 p.m. in Fairfax, VA.