Box Score
 
NEWARK, NJ—Visiting George Mason defeated NJIT in straight sets (25-16, 25-17, 25-21) Friday evening in Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association conference action at the Estelle and Zoom Fleisher Athletic Center.
 
George Mason (9-14, 5-5 in the EIVA) was paced by junior Michael Kvidhal's match-high 18 kills while the Highlanders drop to 10-14 on the season and 4-5 in the league.
 
Kvidhal, the 6-foot-8 outside hitter, hit .571 for the match with 18 kills on 29 swings and just three errors for the Patriots.  Junior Mark Jones combined for nine kills before injuring his ankle late in the second set.
 
George Mason's setter Javier Perez piled up a match-high 37 assists while Andrew Dentler dug-up a team-high 14 digs followed by libero Max McFarland's nine digs.  Kvidhal added six digs and four total blocks in the victory.
 
Junior middle blocker Piotr Dabrowski produced a match-high eight total blocks (all assists) followed by teammate Dentler with six block assists as George Mason held a 12-to-1 team blocking advantage over the Highlanders.
 
NJIT sophomore Dhruv Lad, who entered the match in the middle of the second set, led the Highlanders with six kills on 11 attempts with two errors for a .364 hitting percentage.  Senior Adam Gustafson and freshman Ryan Thomas each collected five kills.
 
Gustafson, who started the match as the NJIT setter, combined for 16 assists, and was later moved to the outside where he posted five kills while freshman setter Zak Robben added 10 assists, playing in two sets.
 
Libero Brady Smith notched a match-high 15 digs followed by Gustafson's 10.
 
In the first frame, the Patriots scored the first four points resulting in an NJIT timeout.  The Highlanders answered with back-to-back points cutting the lead down to three, 5-2.  NJIT stayed within three points of the visitors midway through the frame until the Patriots took a 19-12 lead after four consecutive points.  The visitors would push the lead to as many as seven, 21-13, after an NJIT attack error, and the Patriots finished off the set with a kill by Dentler, for a 25-16 score.
 
In the second set, the Highlanders found themselves down early, 8-1, but responded with six straight points, pulling within one of the Patriots, 8-7.  With the score tied at 11, the only tie of the set after a service error by George Mason, the Patriots extended its lead to 19-14, after an 8-3 spurt.    NJIT's Doug Battersby notched a kill after the run but George Mason responded with four straight points for a 22-15 lead, as NJIT head coach Ryan McNeil called for a timeout.  The visitors finished the set on a 4-2 run taking the frame, 25-17.   Leading the Patriots in the second frame were three different players with four kills – Dentler, Jones and Kvidahl.
 
The final set, the closest of the three frames, was played close the entire way.  The set saw 10 ties, the final at 21 after a service error by George Mason. The visitors then closed out the match scoring the final four points for a 25-21 victory.
 
NJIT will return to action on Wednesday, April 11 at 7pm when the Highlanders host EIVA conference opponent Rutgers-Newark at the Estelle and Zoom Fleisher Athletic Center.
 
The Highlanders are 2-0 vs. Rutgers-Newark this season with victories on January 20 when NJIT competed in the Golden Dome Invitational (3-0) and on February 15 (3-1).