FAIRFAX, Va. — The George Mason Men's Volleyball team won their first game of the season in Saturday's home match against Merrimack at the Recreation Athletic Complex (RAC). The Patriots got the job done in straight sets, winning 25-21, 25-22 and 25-16.
PATRIOT POINTS
- The Patriots' precise attack delivered a .292 hitting percentage, while their defense held strong with nine total blocks.
- Sophomore pin hitter Aidan Weltin led the Patriot offense with a game-high 15 kills and one service ace. Junior outside hitter Robert Evanglista had the second-most kills on the team with nine.
- The Patriots had a season-high four service aces. Along with Weltin's ace, Robert Evangelista, Jackson Herbert and Jack Lopez contributed aces of their own.
- George Mason's defense stifled Merrimack's offense with nine total blocks. Alexander Lillie and Elijah Lazor led the way with two solo blocks each.
- Senior setter Georgi Zahariev had a game-high 32 assists, along with four digs and two block assists.
- Sophomore outside hitter Jack Lopez, who had four kills on five attempts, led the team in digs with six. Redshirt junior libero Robby Nardoni had the second-most with five.
The Patriots (1-3, 0-0 EIVA) dominated the game throughout, besting the Warriors (1-2, 0-0 D1 Independent) in every statistical category. After trading the lead a few times in the first two sets, George Mason held the lead and never looked back at the start of the third.
SET #1: GMU - 25, Merrimack - 21
The opening set saw both teams trading points as George Mason and the Warriors found their footing.
Georgi Zahariev's kill, assisted by
Robert Evangelista, set the pace at 1-1 for the Patriots. Merrimack answered back with a service ace from Max Tkachev, leveling the score at 7-7.
Aidan Weltin was pivotal, delivering several kills, including one that nudged the score to 15-13. With the score still close in the latter half of the set was a nail-biter, the Patriots surged ahead thanks to
Elijah Lazor's block against Merrimack's Jack Johnson pushing the lead to 21-18.
George Mason clinched the first set, 25-21, with a Weltin kill that was set up by Evangelista.
SET #2: GMU - 25, Merrimack - 22
The second set was similar to the first, thanks to continued offensive output by Weltin and Evangelista. Weltin's clutch kills, including the set winner, kept the Patriots in control, while Evangelista's consistent play maintained the momentum.
Though Merrimack took a 15-14 lead, George Mason rattled off a 6-2 run to push ahead, 20-17, a lead in which the Patriots never relinquished for the rest of the game. A crucial block by
Alexander Lillie and Weltin against Jack Johnson gave the Patriots a late edge, sealing the set.
SET #3: GMU - 25 Merrimack - 16
George Mason maintained their grip on the match in the third set, cruising to a 25-16 win. Weltin sparked the early momentum with several kills, aided by Zahariev's precise assists, racing to a 7-1 lead.
Merrimack faltered with service and attack errors, while Evangelista and Lillie's blocks added to the pressure. Despite a brief hiccup,
Jack Lopez stepped up with key kills, and Zahariev orchestrated a smooth offensive flow. Evangelista's decisive kill wrapped up a commanding performance by the Patriots.
COACH'S CORNER
"We are happy to get our first win of the season," said head coach
Jay Hosack. "It was a good week of training, and we are getting better at some things we needed to work on. Much more to do still, but I am stoked for our guys."
UP NEXT
The Patriots will remain home for the next two weeks, where they will be playing two games each weekend.
University of Mount Olive will come to Fairfax on Friday, Jan. 30, at 6 p.m., and Ball State will face the Patriots the following day at 5 p.m.
The following week, George Mason will host Manhattan University and play two consecutive games starting Friday, Feb. 6, at 6 p.m. The final game of the homestand will conclude on Saturday, Feb. 7, when the Patriots play the Jaspers for a second time at 5 p.m.
