Fairfax, VA - The Golden Eagles traveled to George Mason this past weekend for their second week of conference play to compete on Friday and Saturday. The team battled hard as they defeated George Mason in 5 sets after trailing 2-0 in the beginning. The Golden Eagles would go 1-1 on the weekend as George Mason grasped Charleston's first loss of the season.
The Basics:
Location: RAC
Score: UC 3, George Mason 2
Records: UC (13-0) (1-0 EIVA) George Mason (2-0) (0-2 EIVA)
How it Happened:
The highly anticipated match between the Golden Eagles and the Patriots started off in the first set as Charleston received some quick kills from George Mason to set them ahead early in the first set. The Patriots quickly took an early lead going up 10-5. The Golden Eagles struggled to come back from the first set as the Patriots were strong on the serves and kills. Both teams went back and forth throughout set one, but the Patriots took the win with a final score of 25-18, the first set that UC had dropped all year.
The Golden Eagles would not let this take over. In the second set, UC took an early lead with going up three points, with kills by Veit Bils, Luuk Hoge Bavel, and a solid block by Garret Schnitker and Veit Bils to give UC a 6-3 at the beginning of the set. However, that margin was quickly summoned as both teams would not lead by more than two points for the remainder of the match. A kill by Will Kimenhour would allow UC to stay alive at 24-24. As George Mason tried to respond, UC was right behind them. The second set would go all the way to a final score of 29-27 for George Mason as the Patriots earned a service ace to end the second set.
With the game on the line, the Golden Eagles refused to give up. Im the third set, the Patriots would begin to struggle as they gave up seven points on service errors while the Golden Eagles were gaining their rhythm back. Lachlan Bray and Jake Vorburger dialed in as they both had numerous kills in the second set, and Vorburger with two aces to help lead Charleston to a 25-21 win in set three.
Knowing they would have to battle for two more sets to get the win, the Golden Eagles used the momentum from set three to carry over into the fourth. UC quickly gained advantage as they took an early 12-7 lead, with strong offense by Vorburger and Hoge Bavel, and smart defense from KImenhour, Villafane, and Bray to keep the lead. The Golden Eagles continued their momentum as it quickly turned into a 19-13 lead. As the set appeared to be over, the Patriots would fight all the way back to a score of 19-18 as they earned five straight points, but the Golden Eagles had other plans. A kill by Jake Vorburger would end the fourth set with a final score of 25-22 to head into a nail-biting fifth set.
As the fifth set looked like it could go either way, the battle to fifteen was not going to be easy. Both teams would exchange even points, going back and forth on the score, all the way to be tied at 11, but the Golden Eagles would grasp the final four points to get the win on the night. Two back to back kills by Bray would put the Golden Eagles up by two, and a huge block by Kimenhour and Villafane gave UC a strong three point lead. As the score ran to 14-12, an attack error by the Patriots gave UC the first ever win over George Mason in school history, one of the most thrilling games of the season.
The Basics:
Location: RAC
Score: UC 0, George Mason 3
Records: UC (14-0) (3-0 EIVA) George Mason (2-9) (0-3 EIVA)
How it Happened:
Fairfax, VA - The Golden Eagles received their first loss of the season on Saturday during their second match against George Mason. UC would fall to the Patriots in three sets, gathering their first defeat of the season.
After a thrilling comeback from the night before, the Golden Eagles were looking to gain another road and conference win, but the Patriots were going to be difficult to beat. UC started off hot in the first set, leading 8-4 and getting an early lead. However, the Patriots would gain seven of the next eight points on the set after they scored two service aces and multiple kills by Jack Bolz. The Golden Eagles would not give up though as they regained momentum and would grasp six straight points to take back the lead at 16-14. As the final stretch would undergo, the Patriots would snag 9 of the 12 remaining points to take the first set 25-21.
The Golden Eagles would struggle in the second set as they trailed the entire second set to the Patriots. Multiple attacking errors and a few service errors would cause the Golden Eagles to drop the second set 25-18 to the Patriots.
Having been in the same position as the prior night, the Golden Eagles searched for a new surge. The Golden Eagles would gain some momentum as they battled neck and neck with the Patriots all the way to 22. Vorburger, Bray, and Hoge Bavel would continue to seek UC points, but the Golden Eagles would lose the final set 25-22 after a service ace by the Patriots would hand UC their first loss of the season.
Despite the loss, Lachlan Bray would put up 11 kills on the day, and teammate Jake Vorburger collected nine. Diego Villafane added 30 assists to his number on the season.
Up Next:
The Golden Eagles travel to Columbus, Ohio to face The Ohio State University for another strong matchup. The game is set for Saturday, March 4th at 4pm in the Covelli Center.
