Senior libero Autumn Martinez-Robinson (bottom left), junior hitter Avery Booker (left) and sophomore hitter Nia Thompson (right) show excitement after a hard-earned point against Northwestern Aug. 28. (Art Pittman / George Mason Athletics)
Women’s volleyball is back at the RAC with win against Big Ten team
BY PETER MAHLER, STAFF WRITER
Riding a raucous home crowd at the RAC, George Mason women’s volleyball opened its season on Friday with a Power Four win, outlasting Northwestern in four sets.
Mason Head Coach Megan Shifflett Bachmann said the home-court atmosphere was “fantastic.”
“I thought that the kids responded in kind. They felt that energy and they ran with it out of the gate,” said the fifth-year coach.
The Patriots took the first set 25-23 and survived an even tighter second set. The Wildcats fought through every rally, with neither team pulling away by more than three points.
With the set tied at 26 and the ball in her hands, senior libero Autumn Martinez-Robinson served back-to-back aces for the 28-26 win, sending the RAC into pandemonium as Mason took a two-set lead.
The excitement didn’t last long. Northwestern locked down the Mason attack, winning the third set 25-18. The Wildcat defense limited Mason to just seven kills and a .138 hitting percentage in the third. Shifflett Bachmann made sure to praise her team’s response.
“You could feel the energy drift out of the room,” Shifflett Bachmann said. “They needed to endure that … I was really proud of them, because they could have let that slip away.”
“When it counted, they stepped back up,” she said.
Mason relied heavily on senior setter Camryn Weldon. Down 16-20 in the fourth set, Weldon’s three kills and six assists helped cut the deficit to one.
Senior setter Gabriella Gelfound made her first appearance for Mason since 2023 when she was subbed in midway through the fourth set. After spending the last two seasons recovering from two ACL surgeries, she immediately recorded a kill on her very first touch, and would add another before tying the set at 23 with a crucial block.
Her performance did not go unnoticed, as the crowd began to chant her name.
Gelfound, feeling the emotions of the moment, said she relishes the adversity generated from her injuries.
“It’s just another day in the office,” she said.
Two costly errors by Northwestern, including a net violation during the final point, sealed the comeback. Despite never leading the final set by more than a point until the very end, Mason came out victorious, 25-23.
Sophomore hitter Kiera Hamilton, last season’s A10 Rookie of the Year, led the Patriots with 15 kills, while sophomore hitter Nia Thompson added an efficient 13 kills on 29 attempts. Thompson credits her “goldfish mentality” with helping her move on to the next play with ease.
Following this win, Mason faces a quick turnaround as they venture to Georgetown for the second match of the DC Challenge. Fans can tune in on ESPN+ today at 4 p.m.
