FAIRFAX, VA – Rutgers-Newark senior right side Austin Pappas had match highs of 13 kills and 16 points, but George Mason earned a season-ending 3-0 EIVA win in the RAC.  Games scores were 25-20, 25-19, 28-26.

BOX SCORE & PLAY-BY-PLAY

The Patriots (12-15, EIVA 8-5) fought off a pair of set points in the third frame to end the night as the Scarlet Raiders (10-15, EIVA 2-12) fought to the final point in their season.

Down 24-21 in the third game, senior outside hitter Marcin Midura notched a kill to start a four-point run.  Mason's Michael Kvidahl sandwiched kills around a Raider kill by senior outside hitter Grant Metheny to knot the game at 26-26.  A ball-handling error whistled against Rutgers-Newark set up a block by Hunter Stevens and Andrew Dentler to end the match.

Midura had 10 points on eight kills and two aces while Metheny chipped in six kills, an ace, two solo blocks and an assisted block.  Senior libero Zack Chambers came up with a team-high seven digs while senior middle hitter Parth Vedawala put down a solo block.

Freshman setter Manuel Felipez totaled 27 assists, had two kills in as many attacks and got in on a pair of blocks while rookie middle hitter Lorenzo Samin finished with two kills and three assisted blocks.

Kvidahl led Mason with 13 points on nine kills, two aces, a solo block and two assisted blocks while Dentler hammered down a team-high 11 kills while coming up with a match-high nine digs.  Senior outside hitter Mark Jones added 10 kills and an ace while setter Javier Perez distributed 30 assists and got in on seven blocks.

The match was the last for five seniors – Pappas, Midura, Metheny, Chambers and Vedawala – as first-year head coach Pedro Trevino faces a major rebuilding job as Rutgers-Newark continues is move from NCAA D-I to D-III status.