The Patriots huddle in a game against Harvard on April 4. (Christian Segovia / Fourth Estate)
Patriots look ahead to playoffs as they face Princeton
BY CHRISTIAN SEGOVIA, ALUMNI CONTRIBUTOR
George Mason men’s volleyball’s 10-game win streak ended after falling to top-seeded Penn State (12-0 in EIVA) in a hard fought series to close the season. Both games came down to the wire in a fifth set, and the Patriots fell to the third seed in the EIVA as a result of losing both.
The Nittany Lions won the first set Saturday 25-16 with the Patriots generating just six kills on a 0.158 hitting percentage. In set two, the Patriots went on a 10-3 run after being tied 9-9. The passing was key, with senior setter Georgi Zahariev lobbing to sophomore outside hitter Aidan Weltin for one kill, junior opposite hitter Jackson Herbert for two and junior outside hitter Robert Evangelista for another to bring their lead to 19-12.
The Nittany Lions responded with a 10-4 run to close the gap at 23-22; but it was too little too late after one service error and two attack errors all but sealed the set win at 25-22 for the Patriots.
The third set was back and forth with the score being tied 10 times, as neither side maintained a lead for long. The Patriots would get some kills, but would then trade attack errors and service errors with the Nittany Lions.. With the game tied at 23-23, the Patriots capitalized on a service and attack error by the Nittany Lions to win 25-23.
Penn State bounced back in the fourth set, outmatching Mason 16 kills to 9. With the Patriots’ nine errors, including five on serves, they trailed the entire set and were defeated 25-18. The Nittany Lions continued the momentum with 9 kills and a service ace in the game-deciding fifth set. They capitalized on five attack errors from the Patriots, winning the set 15-6 and the game 3-2.
Penn State’s two outside hitters, junior Matthew Luoma and sophomore Sean Harvey pummeled the Patriots with 63 combined kills, buoyed by junior setter Michael Schwob’s 41 assists.
Weltin led Mason with 12 kills and two blocks, while Herbert and Evangelista each had eight kills and three blocks. Sophomore middle blocker Alexander Lillie had eight kills along with seven blocks, and Zahariev lobbed up a team high 29 assists.
In the second game, Mason and Penn State split the first two sets. In the third set, both teams traded kills, attack errors and service errors, with the Patriots’ highest lead a score of 11-8. Once the lead was tied at 21-21, a final kill from Evangelista and three Nittany Lion errors —two on the attack and one on the serve — led to the Patriots winning the set 25-22. Up in the game 2-1, Mason needed only one more set win to topple Penn State for the first time in 10 years and clinch the second seed in the EIVA.
The Patriots started rough in the fourth set with three attack errors. One kill and a service ace from Penn State sent them into an early 5-1 hole. Afterwards, the Patriots committed seven errors — four on the attack and three on service — while the Nittany Lions capitalized with 13 kills to win 25-15.
In the final set, the Patriots were down 13-9, but committed four errors (one service error, three attack errors)to knot the set at 13. After two kills by Harvey, the Nittany Lions closed out the night with a 15-13 win. Schwob had another stellar game, producing 50 assists and two service aces without a single error.
Evangelista stood out in the second game, striking the ball with a team-leading 15 kills and stopping the Nittany Lion offense with four blocks. Weltin slammed down 11 kills, one ace and two blocks. Lillie continued his defensive stops with five blocks and six kills, and Zahariev logged 33 assists
Mason (8-4 in EIVA) finishes the regular season with 20 wins for the first time since 2006, along with a 15-2 record at the RAC. The Patriots will stay at Reed Hall in Penn State to face the sixth-seeded Princeton in the first round of the EIVA Tournament today at 4:30 p.m.
