FAIRFAX, VA (March 27, 2015)—Enzo Mackenzie (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) led the match with 21 kills as the men's volleyball took George Mason to five sets Friday night. The fifth set was close in the beginning before the Patriots went on a 7-2 streak that the Pioneers could never come back from clinching George Mason's tenth win of the season. Sophomore setter Eduardo Zardo (Brasilia, Brazil) totaled 53 assists as SHU fell to 10-9 this season and 1-5 in Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball action with the 3-2 loss.

The score tied 11 times throughout the first set. Down 18-15, the Pioneers rallied for four points, including two kills from Austin Arcala (Long Beach, Calif.) and one from Mackenzie, to retake the lead 19-18. The Patriots wasted no time evening the score at 19 claiming the next point. With the teams exchanging points, the score leveled at 22, 23, 24 and 25 before a pair of SHU errors gave George Mason the match-opener 27-25.

The Pioneers took the first two points of the second set with kills from Zardo and Mackenzie, and maintained a lead throughout the first half of the game before a four-point George Mason run gave the Patriots a 17-16 advantage forcing Sacred Heart Head Coach Kalani Efstathiou to call a time out. The break did its job halting George Mason in its tracks as Raymond Satagaj (Rocky Hill, Conn.) slammed down a kill. The teams traded points evening the score at 18, 19 and 20 before Chris Delucie's (Lindenhurst, N.Y.) kill sparked a three-point SHU run for a 23-20 lead. Delucie posted a double-double in the match tallying 10 kills and 10 digs. Kills from Travis Vonholt (Lindenhurst, N.Y.) and Delucie sealed the win for Sacred Heart 25-22, evening the match at one set a piece.

Sacred Heart took an early 3-2 lead in the third set, but a three-point streak put the Patriots back on top 5-3.  The Pioneers could never recover from the deficit and George Mason took the set 25-17.

After trading the first two points of the fourth set, Mackenzie and Vonholt combined for five points boosting the Pioneers to a significant 6-1 lead. The five-point lead proved to be all Sacred Heart needed as the Patriots managed to cut SHU's lead to just one point on several occasions but could never take a lead. The 25-20 Pioneer win pushed the match to the decisive fifth set.

Sacred Heart continues EIVA play next weekend hosting NJIT Friday, April 3 at 7:00 p.m. and Princeton the following Saturday at 5:00 p.m.