March 25, 2006
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FAIRFAX, Va. - No. 15 George Mason (18-5, 7-1 EIVA Tait) avenged its only EIVA Tait Division loss of the season by beating first-place Penn State (13-7, 9-1 EIVA Tait) in four games on Saturday evening at John Linn Memorial Gym. With the win, the Patriots pull into a tie in the loss column with the Nittany Lions for first place in the division.
After dropping a close first game by four points, 30-26, George Mason swept the next three games, winning by scores of 30-18, 30-22 and 30-21. In their prior meeting on Feb. 25 in University Park, Pa., Penn State defeated Mason in three games. In that meeting the Patriots hit only .200 as a team, while the Nittany Lions hit .394. The teams reversed roles in tonight's meeting as the Patriots' attack was on fire all night long, hitting .432, while the Nittany Lions' hit .165 as a team. The Patriots hit .300 or better in all four games, posting hitting percentages of .519 in game one, .538 in game two, .318 in game three and .300 in game four.
Redshirt senior opposite hitter Shaun Powell led the way with 17 kills on 31 attempts, while redshirt sophomore outside hitter Hudson Bates was second to Powell with 15 kills for the Patriots. While he didn't finish in double-digits in kills, senior middle blocker Matt Steinfurth made the most of his attempts, finishing with eight kills on 11 attempts for a sizzling .727 hitting percentage. In addition to his work on the offensive end, Steinfurth, who leads all of NCAA Division I-II men's volleyball in blocks per game, also anchored the Mason defense, finishing with 14 block assists. The Patriots finished with 18.5 blocks as a team, compared to eight for the Nittany Lions.
The win is important for George Mason, not only in its quest for the EIVA Tait Division title, but also in terms of historical significance. The Patriots entered tonight's matchup with a 12-79 record in the all-time series against the Nittany Lions, including the loss earlier in the season. Tonight's win is only the third time George Mason has defeated Penn State since the 1992 season, and the first victory for George Mason against Penn State since the 2001 season, a year the Patriots finished 20-7 overall and saw head coach Fred Chao earn EIVA Coach of the Year honors.
George Mason is back in action on April 1 against EIVA Tait Division rival St. Francis (Pa.) in Loretto, Pa. First serve is scheduled for 4 p.m. The Patriots have won their previous two meetings against the Red Flash this season, winning in three games each time.
