STATE COLLEGE, Pa. – The Patriots defeated Harvard in a five-set thriller on Wednesday night in the first round of the EIVA Conference Tournament.
 
Despite losing the first set, the Patriots battled back to take the second and third, and then closed it out in the fifth (22-25, 25-14, 25-12, 21-25, 15-12).
 
The first started off strong for the Patriots with a 5-1 and 8-3 lead. The Crimson closed the gap and took the lead at 18-19 after a 6-0 run. The Patriots were unable to take the lead back as it ended (22-25).
 
The Patriots came out firing in the second, doubling the Crimson score at 14-7. The lead increased, as Mason went on a 6-0 run to close out the set. Four Patriots tallied three or more kills in the set and three had an ace.
 
The third was similar to the second. Mason used a 5-0 run to go up 10-3, and a few points later, they were ahead 15-6. They held the lead, and Georgi Zahariev smashed an ace to win it 25-12. Liam French had four kills and two aces.
 
Both teams fought hard in the fourth. Mason led by one at 14-13 when the Crimson went on a 7-2 run to pull ahead by four. They kept the lead, and finished it 25-21.
 
The Patriots never lost the lead in the 5th. They started off with a 4-0 run and even though the Crimson tied it at seven, Mason went on another 4-0  that put the set out of reach. Jason Ashenfelter and Zahariev  both recorded two block assists.
 
By the Numbers
 

• The Patriots had 15 more kills than the Crimson, and Omar Hoyos had 22 followed by Liam Frech with 20.
• Georgi Zahariev tallied a career-high in set assists with 54
• Six Patriots were involved in multiple blocks

 
Up Next
 
The Patriots will take on the #3 Penn State Nittany Lions tomorrow (Apr. 20th) in the EIVA Conference Semi-Finals at 7 PM in Rec Hall.