- The Patriots' earned their 10th conference win with a sweep over Harvard on Saturday evening.
- Mason earned its third straight sweep for its 12th sweep of the season.
- The Patriots begin postseason play on April 18-20, traveling to Princeton for the EIVA Tournament.
FINAL: Mason 3, Harvard 0 (PDF Box Score)
Payne and O'Gorman – 10 kills; Coleman – 22 assists; Calaman – 10 digs
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – The George Mason men's volleyball team ended the regular season on a high note, sweeping Harvard on Saturday evening. The Patriots earned their third straight sweep and 12th sweep of the season – tied for the fourth most in program history.
With a successful regular season behind them, Mason will turn its focus to postseason play. Holding a conference record of 10-4, the Patriots earn a spot in the four-team tournament for the second straight season.
Mason will travel to tournament-host Princeton for the EIVA Tournament on April 18-20. Mason currently holds the three seed; however, with the other three tournament teams playing Saturday night, final seeding is yet to be determined.
"Congrats to Harvard on a good run this year," said head coach
Jay Hosack. "We were able to get some guys with limited experience some playing time today which will help us in the future. We are looking forward to the EIVA playoffs!"
In their regular season finale, the Patriots were led by a pair of their seniors –
Travis O'Gorman and
Langston Payne. The duo combined for 20 kills and nine blocks. O'Gorman helped guide Mason to a first set win, 25-23, putting down six of his 10 kills in the stanza. In the early stages, back-to-back solo blocks for Payne gave Mason the 8-4 advantage. Despite a 3-0 scoring run from Harvard, O'Gorman and
Sam Greenslade put down back-to-back kills to regain the lead, 18-16. Out of the timeout, Mason's scoring run continued as they scored five straight points. During the run, Payne combined with
Justin Coleman and
Kyle Barnes for back-to-back blocks. Senior Coleman guided Mason to a set-best hitting percentage of .393 with 13 assists.
In the second set of play, roles reversed as Harvard jumped out to the early 8-4 lead. After tying the set three times, the Patriots took its first lead after a block by
Bryce Gatling and O'Gorman. Harvard had to use a timeout after back-to-back attacking errors, pushing Mason's lead to 19-16. As the second set neared a close, the two teams exchanged points for a thrilling end. Payne stepped up for the Patriots in the set, collecting five of his 10 kills, including the final kill for the set win, 25-23. Coleman finished his time on the court with 22 assists and three digs.
With two sets behind them, the Patriots has sights on their third straight sweep. Redshirt sophomore
Luis Velez and
Mike Kapusta entered the match for the final set, helping Mason secure the 25-23 set win. Velez dished out 15 assists while Kapusta registered five kills, tying his season high. The Patriots took their first lead of the set after a 3-0 scoring run, 8-7. But the Crimson would not go away so easily. The final set of play saw 13 ties and seven lead changes. After Harvard claimed a late 22-21 lead, George Mason called a timeout to regroup. The timeout proved to be crucial to the ending of the set as the Patriots finished the match on a 4-1 scoring run. During the run, O'Gorman notched a service ace while Greenslade tallied two kills.
NOTABLE STATS
- Will Calaman registered his ninth double-digit dig match this season with 10 digs in the win.
- Payne and O'Gorman both hit over .400 in the match, .438 and .450 respectively.
- The Patriots outblocked the Crimson 10 to 4.5.
UP NEXT
Mason begins postseason play on April 18 with the EIVA semifinals in Princeton, N.J. The Patriots' seeding and opponent is to be determined.
