PHILADELPHIA - In a back and forth affair that ultimately came down to a decisive fifth set, George Mason fought off five match points and picked up a 3-2 (23-25, 25-23, 15-25, 25-13, 24-22) victory over the La Salle University volleyball team on Sunday afternoon at Tom Gola Arena. Freshman Samantha Graver registered a double-double with 19 kills and 11 digs while sophomore Devin Corah tallied 14 kills for the Explorers, who dropped their second straight five-set Atlantic 10 match and fell to 9-8 overall and 0-2 in league play.

The opening set was nip and tuck, as neither team led by more than two points throughout. In fact, after La Salle took a 2-0 lead to start, the margin was one on either side until the final two points of the stanza that gave the Explorers the 25-23 win. Corah and senior Bryanna Davis were the focal points of the offense in set one, combining for nine kills on 15 attempts.

George Mason responded with a tight win in set two that saw a similar level of even play. The Patriots were able to push to the match's first three-point lead at 19-16, before the Explorers reeled off five of the next six points to take a 21-20 lead. With the set tied at 23-23, consecutive kills from Bailey Williams closed out the period and knotted the contest at 1-1.

After the 10-minute intermission, La Salle came out with aggression and immediately took control with an 8-3 advantage. The lead grew to 22-11 and ultimately finished at 25-15, with Graver and Corah each finishing five kills. Freshman Alyssa Cianciulli also played a key role with a pair of service aces.

The Patriots responded with a decisive 25-13 win in set four to set up the fifth and final set. The Explorers scored four consecutive points to take a 4-2 lead, before GMU took four straight points of its own to go ahead, 6-4. From there, neither team gave an inch and responded with clutch play after clutch play as the match extended beyond the typical 15-point threshold. 

Ultimately, however, a combined block from Jordan Glass and Katrina Santos broke a 22-22 tie and an attack error on the Explorers gave the Patriots the victory.

Williams finished with 23 kills to lead George Mason, while Mikala Wells added 18.

La Salle continues Atlantic 10 play on Friday, Sept. 29 at Saint Louis. First serve is set for 8:00 p.m ET.