FAIRFAX, VA – Senior middle hitter
Jon Keller had nine kills, an ace, a solo block and four assisted blocks, but Rutgers-Newark fell to George Mason, 3-0, in the opening round of the EIVA Championship Tournament. Set scores were 30-19, 30-28, 30-23.
George Mason 3, Rutgers-Newark 0
The Scarlet Raiders (13-13) capped a surprising season with a disappointing loss after having beaten the Patriots twice during the regular season.
Sophomore outside hitter
Marcin Midura notched a team-high 11 kills while sophomore outside hitter
Eduardo Hernandez added 10 kills.
Junior setter
Jeff Zornig had 36 assists and six digs for Rutgers-Newark which bowed out in the opening round of the tournament for the second straight season.
Michael Kvidahl had a match-high 15 kills for George Mason which hit .326 as a team compared to .188 for the Raiders. It was Rutgers-Newark's second poorest hitting percentage of the season.
A Midura kill pulled the Raiders to within a point at the end of the nip-and-tuck second set, but a service error gave the frame to the Patriots. That gave George Mason a commanding 2-0 edge in sets.
Mason jumped out to an 11-2 lead in the third set and coasted to the victory.