March 7, 2008

Box Score

FAIRFAX, Va. - The 14th-ranked George Mason men's volleyball team earned one of the most monumental victories in the 34-year history of the program in front of a standing-room only crowd of 1,114 at the Fieldhouse on Friday night. The Patriots 3-1 (30-23, 30-22, 17-30, 33-31) win marked the first victory over a top-ranked team in the history of the program, putting an end to No. 1 Penn State's streak of 18 consecutive victories to open the season in the process.

Penn State entered Friday's match as the lone undefeated team in NCAA Division I men's volleyball with an 18-0 overall record and 9-0 mark in EIVA Tait Division matches. Heading into the match, the Nittany Lions had dropped only three games in their 18 victories and had not lost a single game since a four-game victory over Ball State on Jan. 18, a span of 39 games and 13 matches.

A focused Mason team quickly put an end to that streak, jumping out to a 5-0 lead in the first game and never trailing in a dominant 30-23 win to open the match. Junior opposite hitter Kyle Gramit started off strong, tallying five kills on eight swings with two aces in the first game as the Patriots hit .308 as a team.

With the score knotted at eight in the second game, Mason went on a 4-0 run to take command. From that point on, the Patriots never trailed again in a 30-22 win to take a 2-0 lead in the match. Junior outside hitter Hudson Bates carried Mason's offense during the second game, finishing with seven kills on eight attempts. The Patriots' hot hitting from the first game carried over to the second as Mason finished with a .522 mark in the second game.

With a chance to close out the match in the third game, the Patriots were unable to find their rhythm. Trailing 21-17, Penn State scored the final nine points of the game to cut its deficit to 2-1. Junior outside hitter Matt Anderson took over the game for the Nittany Lions, finishing with 10 kills on .467 hitting.

The fourth game was a back-and-forth affair featuring 18 ties and three lead changes. Both teams matched each other point for point down the stretch before George Mason was finally able to seize control. With the score tied at 31, senior outside hitter Mark Burik unleashed a vicious swing to record his ninth kill of the night and give the Patriots match point. On the next point, Gramit closed out the match with his 18th kill, setting off a wild celebration in the Fieldhouse.

Gramit led Mason with 18 kills and three aces in the match. Bates chipped in 14 kills with seven total blocks. Sophomore setter Ryan Kwiatkowski tallied 47 assists and four blocks in the match. Senior middle blocker R.J. Goubeaux finished with eight blocks as the Patriots totaled 16 blocks as a team, compared to just 7.5 for the Nittany Lions.

Anderson led all players with 34 kills in the match on .300 hitting. Junior middle blocker Max Holt recorded 11 kills and four aces. Senior setter Luke Murray finished with a match-high 56 assists and eight digs for the Nittany Lions.

George Mason, whose record now stands at 11-6 and 4-3 in conference matches, continues its EIVA Tait Division schedule on Saturday with a 4 p.m. match against East Stroudsburg at the Fieldhouse. The Warriors enter the match with a 2-11 overall mark and 0-8 record in conference matches. Tickets to the match will cost $5 for adults and $2 for youth and senior citizens. All full-time enrolled students at George Mason University will be admitted free with a valid Mason student ID.