- In front of a sellout crowd, No. 13 George Mason men's volleyball swept EIVA rival Penn State on Friday night.
- The Patriots improve to 10-3 overall and 4-1 in conference play.
- The win marked the second time in program history the Patriots swept the Nittany Lions on their home court.
FINAL: Mason 3, Penn State 0 (PDF Box Score)
Wagner – 11 kills; Velez – 34 assists; Calaman – 10 digs
FAIRFAX, Va. – In front of a sellout crowd, No. 13 George Mason men's volleyball swept EIVA rival Penn State on Friday night. The Patriots improve to 10-3 overall and 4-1 in conference play.
The win marked the second time in program history the Patriots swept the Nittany Lions on their home court. The last time Mason swept Penn State on their home floor was 35 years ago in the EIVA Championships on April 21, 1984 - hosted by Mason. In addition, Mason earned its first home win over Penn State since April 16, 2016.
"I am proud of the way our boys executed tonight," said head coach
Jay Hosack. "They dug in from point one, and never stopped attacking them. To do that in front of a packed house, alumni in attendance, and to beat your rival like that, I couldn't be more happy for them."
Total team contributions led the Patriots to its seventh sweep this season. On the offensive side of the court, juniors
Hayden Wagner (11) and
Sam Greenslade (10) each tabbed double-digit kills. Redshirt sophomore
Jack Reese stepped up for the Patriots, providing clutch kills throughout the match. The middle blocker finished with nine kills with one attacking error on a .615 clip. Redshirt sophomore
Luis Velez guided Mason to a .349 hitting percentage with 34 assists.
Defensively, senior
Will Calaman registered his third straight match with double figure digs (10), limiting Penn State's offense to a .149 clip. Wagner and Reese each collected five blocks. In addition, Wagner (8) and Velez (7) each helped Mason hold a commanding advantage in digs, 34 to 20.
In the opening set of play, the Patriots and Nittany Lions traded points in the early stages. After a four-point scoring run by Penn State, the Nittany Lions took a 13-9 lead. Out of the timeout, Mason went on a 7-1 run to put them back on top, 16-14. Back to back kills for redshirt senior
Langston Payne gave Mason the late advantage, 20-17. Kills by Greenslade and Wagner capped off the first-set win, 25-22.
In the second set, Mason came out strong taking an early 7-4 lead, thanks to a three-point scoring run. Penn State battled back to find the set tied 12 all. After a kill by Wagner gave Mason the 13-12 advantage, the Patriots never looked back. Scoring three of the final four points, Mason claimed the set, 25-19. Mason's defense proved to be the deciding factor in the set, registering six blocks compared to Penn State's two.
The Patriots used the momentum from a close second-set win to dominate in the third stanza, closing the match by hitting .647. In the set, Wagner led the effort with four kills on four swings (1.000pct) to expose the Penn State defense. The Patriots led by as many as eight to take the final set with ease, 25-18.
NOTABLE STATS
- Mason held the advantage in digs 34 to 20, helping the Patriots hold the Nittany Lions to a .149 clip.
- Payne added six kills and two blocks in the victory while senior Kyle Barnes added five kills and a service ace.
- Mason hit an efficient .647 in the final set of play with 13 kills and only two attacking errors.
UP NEXT
Mason wraps up Alumni weekend with a 3 p.m. match on Sunday against Saint Francis (Pa.) at the Recreation Athletic Complex.
