Patriots Topple Mastodons in Four

Fort Wayne, IN - Twenty-one IPFW service aces were too much for the Mastodons to overcome, as their sloppy play led to a 3-1 loss at the hands of the George Mason Patriots, 30-27, 20-30, 28-30, 22-30.

IPFW hopped out to an early 11-8 advantage, before the Patriots fought back to knot the opening set at 19 all. A pair of Patriot attack errors and a kill by Darryl Shank highlighted an IPFW run that gave the 'Dons the lead at 27-24. Three kills by sophomore Ivan Matos closed the first frame in favor of the 'Dons, 30-27.

Darryl Shank tallied nine kills in the opening set and Dan Mader logged the assist on 17 of the 'Dons 19 kills in the opening set.

Unable to retain the momentum, the Patriots jumped ahead in the second set, 13-9. Mason continued to extend the lead, reaching as many as nine at 25-16 before back-to-back points sealed a decisive second set win, 30-20.

The tables turned yet again to open the third set as it was the 'Dons with the hot hand. Five straight points gave IPFW an early 10-5 lead. Slowly though, the Patriots chipped away, eventually evening the score at 18-18. After trading serves, the Patriots took a 27-26 lead, warranting a timeout from the IPFW bench. Mason came out of the huddle and added another to the lead on a lift call on the 'Dons.

Oliver Kook tapped one into the gap for another point, but the Patriots' Andrew Dentler fired two kills in the last three points, giving the Patriots a 30-28 set win and 2-1 advantage.

In the fourth and final set, the Patriots jumped all over the Mastodons, taking the lead at 5-4 and continuing to build their lead throughout. After jumping out to a commanding 14-7 lead, the Mason lead eventually reached as many as eight at 24-16 before Javier Perez's ace closed out the match with a 30-22 fourth set score.

Shank continued his weekend hot-streak as he posted a season-best 28 kills, the only Mastodon in double-figures in the category. Dan Mader tallied 46 assists, Shaun Dryden dug up 14 balls and Rob Samp tallied five block assists to lead the 'Dons.

The 'Dons fall to 3-4 overall in the 2010 campaign and will look for their first MIVA victory Friday (Feb. 5) as they host the Lewis University Flyers. First serve is scheduled for 7 p.m. at the Hilliard Gates Sports Center in Fort Wayne.