FAIRFAX, VA—Radoslav Popov and Jack Wilson combined for 33 of George Mason's 51 kills in a 3-1 win over visiting NJIT Saturday night in Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association (EIVA) men's volleyball action at the RAC.

The Patriots won 25-21, 23-25, 25-23 and 25-19.

NJIT, which did not earn a spot in the four-team EIVA tournament, completes its 2015 slate with a 11-13 record overall, including 3-8 in league competition. The Highlanders surpassed their overall wins total from last season (10) under new head coach Danny Goncalves. George Mason is 14-12 overall and 7-5 in the EIVA and will continue its season in the EIVA playoffs at Penn State.

Popov, a sophomore outside hitter, recorded a match-best 19 kills for Mason, while his classmate, Wilson, notched 14 kills.  Popov completed the four-set match with a .567 hitting percentage.

Freshman setter Brian Negron combined for a match-high 45 assists while libero Weston Barnes paced the match with 16 digs for George Mason, which got a match-best five total blocks (1 solo, 4 assists) from Hunter Stevens.

The Patriots, with a 8-2 advantage in service aces, got half its total from Christian Malias's four aces followed by Wilson with three.

Jabarry Goodridge paced the Highlanders with 17 kills, while Zak Robben piled up 41 assists. 

On defense, Goodridge led the team in digs (11) followed by senior libero Oren Zyndorf (10).  Redshirt sophomore Luke Robbe finished the match with a .727 hitting percentage (8k, 0e, 11a) and was the blocking leader for NJIT with three (all assists).

The early stages of the opening set were close, with the final tie of the set at, 11-11.  Neither team led by more than two until the Patriots used a 3-1 spurt to take an 18-15 lead.  NJIT pulled back to within one, 18-19, on a kill by TJ Jurko, but George Mason answered with a 4-1 run, extending the lead to 23-19.  After a timeout by the visitors, both teams traded points and the Highlanders recorded a point on a Patriot error, 24-21.  George Mason went on to win 25-21 on a kill by Stevens.

Trailing early in the second set, NJIT broke the last tie, 20-20, scoring three consecutive points to pull ahead by three, 23-20.  George Mason rallied back to within one, 24-23, on a kill by Popov but NJIT's Goodrige put the frame away with a kill for a 25-23 victory.

The third frame saw two ties, the first early in the set and the second at 19-19 behind a 5-1 spurt for the Highlanders. Both teams traded points, with George Mason going up two after a kill by Wilson.  After an NJIT timeout, Ryan Thomas brought NJIT back to within one, 23-24, but Popov closed the set with a kill for a 25-23 advantage.

In the final set, George Mason went up 8-4 and went up to stay at 17-10 on a Patriot service ace that secured the match, 25-19.

Chris Kaepernick, Robben, Thomas and Zyndorf, all of whom started Saturday night, wrapped up their four-year playing careers as Highlanders.