(Davon Marion / Fourth Estate)
Mason gets two wins to clinch an A-10 Tournament spot, but injuries loom large
BY SAM DOUGLAS, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
With star freshman outside hitter Kiera Hamilton out due to an injury, it took every last ounce of strength for Mason women’s volleyball to take down the visiting Fordham Rams in five competitive sets Friday night.
The Patriots’ 3-1 win over Fordham the following day, as well as favorable results around the conference, resulted in them clinching a spot in the Atlantic-10 Tournament and raising their overall record to 16-10 and 9-6 in conference play.
The two matches were the first time Mason had returned home since a crushing five-set loss against George Washington on Oct. 29 — the last time Hamilton suited up for the Patriots.
Hamilton’s offensive production (326 kills in 23 matches) needed to be replaced against Fordham. A committee of Patriots combined to fill the void, with freshman outside hitter Nia Thompson putting up a total of 33 kills and 32 digs over the two matches. Sophomore outside hitter Avery Booker and senior outside hitter Haley Graetz joined her in notching double digits in kills and digs in the first match. Booker totaled 33 kills, while Graetz totaled 24 kills over the nine total sets.
The injury could not come at a worse time for Mason, with the Patriots entering Friday’s game against Fordham on a 1-6 skid that includes a 0-4 record against A-10 heavyweights VCU, Dayton and George Washington.
Following a 1-1 split against last-place Rhode Island, coming back home to face second-to-last place Fordham for two matches seemed to be a great opportunity for the Patriots to reset, even with Hamilton’s injury.
However, the damage worsened during Saturday’s match, with Mason’s defense taking a blow.
Junior middle blocker Chelsea Colter, the Patriots’ block leader with eight kills and six blocks on the day, landed awkwardly on her knee in the fourth set and was down on the court for several minutes before leaving the game in a wheelchair.
She leads the team with 134 blocks on the season — 40 more than the second leading blocker.
The pre-game national anthem on Friday may have been a sign of things to come, as technical difficulties prevented the song from being played over the loudspeakers at the RAC Gym.
Sophomore defensive specialist Jaylin Lott was then tasked to perform the national anthem.
The Patriots fell behind 16-12 in the first set after leading by as much as four. They battled back, tying the score at 21 before pulling ahead to win 25-23 behind five first-set kills from Booker.
Mason got out to an early 8-4 lead in the second set. However, a kill and a service ace from senior outside hitter Zoe Talabong helped Fordham erase the deficit and tie the score at 8.
The rest of the set was a tight contest, with the two teams tying the score an additional eight times. Junior setter Whitney Woodrow would get up to serve with Fordham leading 21-19, and her two service aces would help the Rams claim the next four points and even the match up with a 25-19 set win.
The Patriots looked out of sync to start the third set. The Rams put up seven points in a row, including a service ace and two assists from Woodrow. The Patriots would attempt to fight back, but would fall 25-17.
Down 2-1, Mason would open the fourth set with a 2-0 lead, a near wire-to-wire win. Fordham would close the gap and tie the game at 22, but a kill from Thompson followed by two service aces from Martinez-Robinson would ensure a fifth set by sealing a 25-22 victory.
Martinez-Robinson, who celebrated reaching 1,000 career digs before the game, led the Patriots with 19 digs.
(Davon Marion / Fourth Estate)
The fifth set provided a sense of deja vu for the Patriots, down 5-0.
This time, they were able to fight back and take a brief 7-6 lead before the Rams tied it on the next point. The set would go on to be tied four times after that, including at 12-12. A kill from Thompson and an attack error from Fordham’s junior outside hitter Erynn Sweeney would put the Patriots at 14-12, earning them a match point.
A thunderous kill from Colter would end the Rams’ hope of an upset. Mason won the final set by a score of 15-12 and the match by a score of 3-2.
When Saturday’s match started, it seemed it would be another hard-fought affair. The Patriots had set-point at 24-22, but gave up four points in a row, falling 26-24, even with a strong four-kill set from Thompson.
The Patriots rebounded quickly, pulling ahead 24-19 in the second set, but they struggled to put away the Rams. Two kills from senior outside hitter Audrey Brown helped Fordham put up five straight points, tying the score at 24.
Mason was able to secure the next two points off kills from Colter and Graetz to seal the set win.
They pulled away near the end of the third set for a 25-21 victory, despite five kills from Talabong.
After Colter’s injury with the two sides tied at 8 in the fourth set, the visibly upset Patriots were able to outscore Fordham 17-13 following the stoppage.
Freshman middle blocker Mia Hazelett came on to replace Colter, racking up four kills to lead to a 25-21 final score in the fourth set and a 3-1 final score for the match.
The Patriots face Loyola Chicago at the RAC on Nov. 14 and 15 to close their season out.