- Mason earned its third-ever 3-0 road win at Penn State on Saturday night.
- The Patriots hit a season-high .514 in the match, including a .650 clip in the second set.
- Mason clinched a postseason berth to the EIVA Tournament with the sweep.
FINAL: Mason 3, Penn State 0 (PDF Box Score)
Wagner – 13 kills; Velez – 36 assists; Velez – 9 digs
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – No. 15 George Mason men's volleyball swept rival Penn State on Saturday night for its third-ever 3-0 road win over the Nittany Lions. With the victory, the Patriots earned their first season sweep of the Nittany Lions since 1984.
Mason improves to 15-8 overall and 8-4 in conference play. With the win, the Patriots clinched a spot in the EIVA Tournament, seeding to be determined.
Mason hit a season-high .514 in the match behind
Luis Velez 36 assists and match-high nine digs.
Hayden Wagner hit .550 with 13 kills and only two attacking errors while
Sam Greenslade registered 10 kills and a match-high three service aces.
Kyle Barnes (7k/3blks),
Jack Reese (5k/4blks) and
Langston Payne (6k/4blks) also contributed big in the victory. Payne hit a perfect 1.000 in the match.
Three blocks for the Patriots helped power them to an early 6-1 lead, forcing Penn State to call a timeout. Back-to-back kills for Greenslade allowed Mason to extend its lead, 11-6. A service ace by Payne capped off a three point scoring run for a score of 13-6. Later in the set, Mason used a 3-0 scoring run to lead by eight, 19-11. During the run, Velez and Payne combined for a block while Wagner notched his first service ace. Mason took its largest lead of the set, 22-13, after a Greenslade kill. A service ace for Greenslade gave Mason the set win, 25-16. Mason hit .500 in the set as Wagner, Payne and Greenslade each tabbed four kills.
Despite a strong start from Penn State, Mason used a 6-1 scoring run to take its first lead of the second set, 14-12. A service ace for Barnes capped off the run. Back-to-back points for the Nittany Lions evened the stanza, 16 all. Wagner's second service ace of the night gave Mason the slim advantage, 20-19. Both teams exchanged points for a thrilling end to the second set. Greenslade came up clutch in the final stages, registering two kills while Reese tabbed the final kill for the 25-23 set win. Mason hit .650 in the set with 15 kills and only two attacking errors.
A 4-1 scoring run gave Mason the early advantage, 13-9. Out of the Penn State timeout, Mason used another 4-1 scoring run to lead by six, 17-11. Later in the set, Payne hammered home a kill, forcing the Nittany Lions to call a timeout. Out of the break, Mason stayed in control for the remainder of the set, cruising to the win, 25-18.
NOTABLE STATS
- The Patriots' offense was unstoppable, hitting a season-high .514 in the match. Mason notched its highest hitting percentage of the match in the second set, .650.
- Mason recorded eight service aces compared to Penn State's two.
- The Patriots outblocked the Nittany Lions nine to two.
UP NEXT
Mason will round out the regular season at Harvard with a pair of matches.
