FAIRFAX, Virginia – In the second match in as many days, the University of Maryland Eastern Shore Hawks faced off with the hosting George Mason Patriots, but were unable to hold off the Patriots as UMES lost in four sets, 3-1.

The Score 

Maryland Eastern Shore Hawks (4-2) - 1 

George Mason Patriots (3-4) - 3 

(18-25, 23-25, 25-18, 22-25) 

How It Happened 

Though the Patriots drew the first point of the match, UMES responded immediately with a kill from Chase Valentine. Despite the immediate response from the Hawks, George Mason quickly built a lead in the opening set, scoring two points for each of the next two UMES points to lead 5-3 before the Patriots went on a 6-2 run. The Hawks battled against the Patriots' lead, but were kept at least three points away through the remainder of the set until George Mason took the set 25-18 on the heels of a 5-1 run to end the set. 

To kick off the second set, Valentine and Kenyon Haynes combined to block George Mason for the first point. UMES opened Set 2 with a 3-1 advantage as George Mason committed a service error while Valentine and Andre Mills followed up with another block for the third point. The Hawks and Patriots kept the score close, though with a nod to the Hawks for the majority of the set until George Mason took the lead 19-18. From that point, UMES kept the Patriots close, but the set escaped the Hawks as they took a 0-2 deficit with a 25-23 loss in Set 2. 

The third set solidly belonged to the Hawks as UMES opened it up with a 7-3 lead while George Mason pushed against the Hawks' lead, UMES kept the Patriots at bay as George Mason was kept at least three points from the lead the remainder of the set. The Hawks led by as much as seven points at three separate occasions before putting away the set 25-18 to move back into contention, 2-1, for the match. 

The fourth set was even keeled as neither side allowed more than a two-point margin of a lead until the near end of the set when George Mason took a 20-16 lead. The Hawks battled back, cutting the lead to within one at 23-22, but the Patriots scored the last two points straight to take the set 25-22. 

The Numbers 

• For the second straight match, Andre Mills and Tristan Rowley tied for kills to lead the Hawks. Each put up 15 kills to lead UMES as Mills notched a hitting percentage of 30% and Rowley 43.3%. 

• Kenyon Haynes put up 44 assists for the Hawks, marking the third match this season he has eclipsed 40. He also added a pair of kills, three blocks and eight digs. 

• The Hawks more than doubled George Mason's blocks with a 12-5 advantage. Chase Valentine totaled seven blocks while Nikilas Blumenstock and Andre Mills each totaled four. 

• As a team, UMES held a hitting percentage of 33.3% for the match compared to the Patriots' 31.9%. 

Up Next 

The Hawks will return home to the Hytche Center for a pair of matches against Dominican (N.Y.) on February 5 and 6. 

Follow Along 

Keep up with the latest from UMES men's volleyball on UMESHawkSports.com and by following along on X (@UMESHawksMVB) and Instagram (@umeshawksmvb).