George Mason GMU 0-2,0-0 EIVA

Ohio St. OSU 3-0,0-0 MIVA

George Mason GMU

0-2,0-0 EIVA

Final

Jan. 15, 2026

Ohio St. OSU

3-0,0-0 MIVA

Set Scores
Team	1	2	3	F
George Mason GMU	24	27	17	(0)
Ohio St. OSU	26	29	25	(3)

Box Score

Ohio State Athletics

Patriots Fall Short After Hard Battle With Buckeyes On the Road

Game Recap: Men's Volleyball | 1/15/2026 11:01:00 PM

COLUMBUS, Ohio — In the first road match of the 2026 season, the No. 20 George Mason Men's Volleyball team lost to host school No. 13 Ohio State, 3-0, Thursday night at Covelli Center. The set scores were 24-26, 27-29 and 17-25.

PATRIOT POINTS

Sophomore pin hitter Aidan Weltin led the Patriot offense with 16 points and 15 kills, as well as two blocks.
Junior opposite hitter Jackson Herbert had the second-most kills with six.
Senior setter Georgi Zahariev scored one of the two Patriot service aces and tacked on 24 assists. Sophomore middle blocker Alexander Lillie had the other ace.
Junior outside hitter Robert Evangelista had the third-most kills with four.
Sophomore libero Stef Kins led the team in digs with seven. Herbert, Zahariev and Evangelista were all tied for second-most digs with six.

George Mason (0-2, 0-0 EIVA) faced a tough challenge against Ohio State (3-0, 0-0 MIVA), falling in straight sets. While the Patriots showed grit, they were unable to counter the Buckeyes' powerful offense, which tallied 49 kills compared to the Patriots' 30.

SET #1: GMU - 24, OSU - 26
The opening set was a tight contest, with Weltin and Zahariev delivering key kills to keep pace. Mid-set, Ohio State edged ahead, but George Mason clawed back to a 22-22 tie, thanks to blocks by Weltin and Elijah Lazor. Despite a service miscue by Ohio State that brought it to 24-24, the Patriots couldn't capitalize, and Ohio State took the set 26-24.

SET #2: GMU - 27, OSU 29
George Mason showed resilience in the second set. Trailing 10-5, they took advantage of Ohio State's errors and Weltin's multiple kills, closing the gap to 10-9. George Mason's Lillie and Robert Evangelista responded with a crucial block to level the score at 10-10, but Ohio State then pulled ahead 19-15, spurred by kills from Wetzel and Aaron Grimm.

The Patriots rallied back late in the set. Thanks to a timely service ace by Georgi Zahariev and a Weltin kill, the Patriots tied it at 23-23. Unfortunately for the Patriots, Ohio State edged out the set, with Stanislaw Chacinski delivering the winning kill.

SET #3: GMU - 17, OSU 25
The third set started strong for George Mason, with Lillie and Herbert spearheading the offense, both assisted by Zahariev, for an early lead. Evangelista's kill, again from Zahariev, kept the momentum after an Ohio State error. However, Ohio State responded with a service ace and capitalized on several Patriot attack errors.

Weltin and Evangelista continued to shine with crucial kills, but Ohio State surged ahead, including multiple kills by Chacinski and Wetzel. Although the Buckeyes committed some errors down the stretch, the Buckeyes closed the set decisively at 25-17.

COACH'S CORNER
"I liked the response after last week's less-than-expected performance," said head coach Jay Hosack. "We had them in the first two sets, and just couldn't close the door. We are excited for the positive step forward, but are by no means complacent with that result."

UP NEXT
The Patriots will play their second game of the Columbus road trip tomorrow, Jan. 16, as they will face defending national champions Long Beach State at Covelli Center. Slated for 1 p.m., the game can be watched on BigTen+ here and live stats can be followed here.