(Addison Cox / Fourth Estate)
With A-10 Tournament on the horizon, Mason unable to keep up with the Ramblers
BY BEN KEANE, STAFF WRITER
Following two home wins against Fordham, Mason women’s volleyball hosted reigning Atlantic 10 champions Loyola Chicago at the RAC for a pair of games on Friday, Nov. 14, and Saturday, Nov. 15.
Coming into Friday, the program’s alumni night, the Patriots had the opportunity to climb as high as second in the A-10 standings to conclude the regular season. Unfortunately, a different story unfolded in both contests, with Mason taking just one set in the 0-3 and 1-3 losses.
The Patriots showed signs of fatigue, feeling the continued absences of their star players, freshman outside hitter Kiera Hamilton and junior middle blocker Chelsea Colter. The Patriots were unable to claim a single set in the first match, committing 26 errors in the loss.
The Ramblers played with composure, committing just six errors in the first two sets. Despite an evenly matched 25-23 third set, the Patriots couldn’t keep up with Loyola’s .237 hitting percentage.
Sophomore outside hitter Avery Booker led the Patriots with eight kills, while sophomore middle blocker Meredith Brown added another seven. Senior middle blocker Ann Marie Remmes led the Ramblers with 10 kills and a staggering .714 hit percentage.
Senior Day provided early optimism for Saturday’s match, with Mason taking the first frame 25-18. Freshman outside hitter Nia Thompson, last week’s A-10 rookie of the week, led the charge with five kills from the middle. Mason jumped out to a 7-4 lead before the Ramblers took five of the next six points and a 9-8 lead.
Mason enjoyed a run of their own, capitalizing on a handful of Loyola errors and making a five-point run to lead 17-12 before going on to capture the set.
Loyola Chicago took control in the second set, getting out to a quick 5-1 lead. Both teams exchanged blows throughout the set, before Loyola captured five of the last six points to win 25-20. Loyola sophomore outside hitter Kaitlyn Burke dominated the set with five kills. For Mason, Brown had a trio of kills and two blocks, with Thompson adding four kills.
Attrition appeared to set in for the Patriots in the third set. Loyola rattled off an early eight-point run to take a 10-3 lead.
The Ramblers enjoyed the ability to rotate their squad significantly more than the injury-stricken Patriots, who were hindered by nine errors and a hit rate of -0.054% in the set. Despite continued resilience, the Patriots were unable to fight back and lost 25-14 in an undramatic set.
Mason fought off a pair of early three-point runs from Loyola to keep a manageable 15-11 score in a must-win fourth set. Senior outside hitter Haley Graetz had a pair of kills as Thompson continued to excel with four of her own, finishing the day with 15.
With Loyola leading 20-16, the teams exchanged seven straight service points that saw Loyola’s lead rise to 24-18. The Ramblers hit six aces in the final set, capitalizing on the Patriots’ late-game fatigue. Remmes’ kill would end the match at 25-18 as both teams finished out regular season play.
Despite the pair of losses to end the season, the Patriots are looking forward to their first A-10 tournament appearance since 2018. They’ll face tournament hosts, four-seeded VCU on Friday, Nov. 21 in Richmond.
It will be Mason’s second time playing the Rams in their home territory this season, having previously gone 1-1 in a pair of October matches. If the Patriots defeat VCU, they’ll match up against top-seed Dayton, who went undefeated in conference play.
The A-10 tournament takes place between Friday, Nov. 21, and Sunday, Nov. 23. Matches can be streamed on ESPN+.