The American University volleyball team fell to George Mason 3-0 Friday evening in the team's first match of the D.C. Volleyball Challenge in Fairfax, Va. Junior Cassandra Ricketts led the team with eight kills and 10 digs while sophomore Rebecca Heath tallied 16 digs.

George Mason (1-0) earned the victory by set scores of 25-18, 26-24 and 25-20. American (0-1) jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the first set but George Mason quickly rallied to take an 11-5 advantage. The Patriots continued to roll midway through the set and pushed their lead to as many as 11 points, 20-9. American was able to string together points late in the set but the deficit was too much to overcome as Geroge Mason took set one, 25-18.

The two teams were locked in a back-and-forth battle in the second set as the lead changed hands six times. Tied at 10, George Mason attempted to pull away with a 4-0 run but it was the Eagles this time who answered the call, tying the score at 16 before eventually taking a 23-22 lead. American could not hold on down the stretch however as George Mason retook the advantage and the set, 26-24.

American again came out quickly in the third set to take a 4-0 lead before George Mason answered back with a 4-0 run of its own. The score remained even midway through the frame until the Patriots were able to string together five consecutive points for a 21-16 advantage. American bounced back and brought the score to within one, 21-20, but could not overcome George Mason as the Patriots rolled to the victory, 25-20.

"We played well and battled at times but we are still trying to figure out what it will take for us to be successfull," Head Coach Barry Goldberg said. "We have several new people playing in key positions but once we figure out what it will take I think we'll be alright."

American was led by Ricketts who scored eight kills and dug 10 balls while freshman Katie Ganny recorded 19 assists in her first collegiate match. Heath anchored the defense with 16 digs.

The Eagles will return to the court Saturday, Aug. 29, at home in the team's final two matches of the D.C. Volleyball Challenge. American will first face off against George Washington at 1 p.m. before facing Georgetown at 7 p.m. in the team's third annual Bender Blue Out match. Eagles fans unnable to attend Saturday's matches can catch all of the action live on the new Eagles Vision TV channel featuring multiple camera angles, a live scoreboard and analysis from a studio broadcast team and courtside reporters. Click here to sign up today.