Courtesy of Teodor Handarov

Collective efforts not enough for Mason to take down Penn State

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The George Mason University men's volleyball team fought hard but ultimately fell to rival Penn State University in three sets – 26-24, 26-24, 25-19.

Freshman setter Brian Negron was the surprise leader in Mason's attack with six kills on seven total attempts. Redshirt junior Paco Velez also finished with six kills, but could not match Negron's .714 kill percentage. In a less surprising manner, Negron also led his team with 20 assists. Aaron Russell again shone over everyone else for Penn State and finished the match with 17 kills. With his 11 kills, Nick Goodell was the only other player from either team to finish in double digits. He also contributed a service ace. Starting setter Taylor Hammond registered 41 assists.

Junior Hermann De Gennaro gave the Patriots (2-8, 0-2 EIVA) an early lead in the first set with an ace, but the Nittany Lions (4-8, 2-0 EIVA) regained the lead not long after and then went on a run that forced Mason's coach Fred Chao to call a timeout at 12-8 Penn State. The lead increased to five after the first play out of the timeout, but the Patriots responded in a timely manner on De Gennaro's serving sequence and cut it to one to force a timeout on the opposing bench at 13-12. Penn State retained its lead, however, and it fluctuated for the following minutes until Mason went on a three-point run coming off another timeout and tied the set at 22. It went down to the wire in the end of a set when an attack error by the home team tied the score once again at 24, but the Nittany Lions scored two unanswered points to escape with a 26-24 win in the set.

The second set provided even more drama, featuring 15 tied scores and four lead changes. Penn State had a better start to it and quickly pulled ahead 3-1, but after some strong minutes by Mason, the senior captain Hunter Stevens tied the score at 4 with a block. The Nittany Lions then grabbed the set's largest lead with three unanswered points, but the Patriots managed to tie the score at 7 in just as many plays. The two teams were neck in neck for the remainder of the set, but it was not until 14-13 when Mason grabbed its first lead on an attack error by the Nittany Lions. The coaches limited themselves to sideline instructions as the teams continued to exchange points, but another attack error by the Nittany Lions forced their coach to call a timeout with Mason leading 23-22 late in the set. Shortly after the timeout, at 24-23 the Patriots had an opportunity to tie the match, but three consecutive points marked the crucial fourth lead change and gave Penn State a 2-0 set advantage going into the 10-minute intermission.

It looked as if Mason has found a response to the Nittany Lions' late second-set momentum when they won the first two points of the third set. The lead was short lived, however, and quickly erased at 3-3, before Penn State got ahead at 5-4. It grew to three points at 10-7, but slowly and surely the Patriots came back on level terms at 15-15 and then at 16-16. That is as close as the Patriots got to winning the third set, however, before the Nittany went on one final run that helped them comfortably close the third set at 25-18 and the match at 3-0 at the expense of a tired Mason team.

The Patriots will take a break from conference competition and return to Fairfax, Va., where they will welcome Lees-McRae College next Friday for their long-awaited first home match of the season. First serve at the RAC gym will be at approximately 7 p.m.