FAIRFAX, Va. — The George Mason Men's Volleyball team won the first game of a two-game series against Manhattan, 3-1, on Friday evening at the Recreation Athletic Complex (RAC). After dropping the first set 20-25, the Patriots won the next three sets 25-23,-25-21 and 26-24.

PATRIOT POINTS

• Sophomore pin hitter Aidan Weltin had a career night, totaling 21 kills in his four sets played. He broke his previous record of 17 against LIU on March 1^st, 2025.
• Junior outside hitter Robert Evangelista had 16 kills on the night, close to matching his career-high of 17 that was also set last season against LIU.
• The Patriot defense recorded 10 total blocks, with solo blocks coming from Weltin, Alexander Lillie, Georgi Zahariev and Elijah Lazor
• George Mason has now won four of their last five games.

Friday evening's game featured high-octane offenses, four thirty-second long rallies, back-to-back successful challenges from both sides (on one point) and a final set that needed extra playing time. George Mason (4-4, 0-0 EIVA) showcased a dynamic offense with a total of 53 kills and held strong at the net with 10 total blocks, while Manhattan (2-7, 0-0 NEC) edged the Patriots in blocks with 11.

SET 1: GMU - 20, Manhattan - 25
The Jaspers got out the gate with a blistering start and never let up, finishing with a .684 hitting percentage compared to the Patriots' .320. The first set kicked off with a service error by Wojtek Nowak, giving the Patriots an initial advantage. Manhattan quickly countered with a kill from Kasen Owens to even the score. Aidan Weltin was a standout for George Mason, scoring multiple points with kills set up by Georgi Zahariev's assists.

However, the Jaspers kept a slight lead with kills from Jovan Marjanovic and Kai Patchell, both assisted by Drew Blonski. Despite a strong push from the Patriots, getting as close as 20-19, Manhattan clinched the set with a 5-1 run, with a service ace from Nowak sealing the deal.

SET 2: GMU - 25, Manhattan - 23
The Patriots bounced back in the second set, edging out a 25-23 victory. Although Manhattan's attacking percentage cooled down, the Jaspers' attacking percentage was firing off at a clip of .510 compared to the Patriots .300. However, service errors were frequent on both sides, adding tension to the tightly contested set.

Weltin delivered several kills and aces, including a crucial service ace at 24-22 that paved the way for the final point. When the Patriots scored what they thought was the set-sealing 25^th point, Manhattan challenged for a potential hitting error and were successful, reversing the score to 24-23 in slim favor of the Patriots.

Despite strong efforts from Owens and Blake Perkins on Manhattan's side, Weltin closed out the set with a kill from a Zahariev assist.

SET 3: GMU - 25, Manhattan - 21
In the third set, the Patriots kept the momentum with an early lead, starting with a kill by Robert Evangelista, assisted by Zahariev. The Weltin and Zahariev tandem continued, with Weltin contributing crucial kills at 6-4 and 14-9. Manhattan chipped away and closed the gap to 17-19 after a 4-0 run, with Blonski and Patchell playing key roles in their comeback.

The Patriots pulled away with decisive plays, including a key Weltin solo block at 24-20. Evangelista finished the set with a kill, securing a 25-21 win for George Mason.

SET 4: GMU - 26, Manhattan - 24
The fourth set was a nail-biter, with George Mason narrowly defeating Manhattan 26-24. Evangelista was vital for the Patriots, starting and ending the set with key kills. Manhattan gained early momentum with a service ace and capitalized on George Mason's attack errors to take a 4-1 lead.

After a lengthy rally, the Patriots scored their second point of the set, to which Manhattan challenged for a potential Patriot touch. Upon further review, the call was reversed, giving the Jaspers a 5-1 advantage. However, Coach Jay Hosack subsequently challenged for a potential net call. After a second round of reviews on the same point, George Mason successfully won their challenge, thus reversing the score again to 4-2.

The Patriots steadily closed the gap. Consistent scoring from Weltin and Evangelista, along with a service ace, helped regain control. As the set tightened, George Mason took advantage of Manhattan's errors, including a crucial ball handling error by Blonski. Despite the Jaspers' late comeback attempt that tied the score at 23-23, back-to-back kills from Weltin and Evangelista sealed the victory for the Patriots.

COACH'S CORNER
"Manhattan is a good team, and they brought good service pressure all night tonight," said head coach Jay Hosack. "I thought we gritted out a tough win, but we have to be cleaner in our serve-receive if we are going to feel confident with our offense like we normally do."



UP NEXT
George Mason will close out the three-week long homestand tomorrow, February 7^th, as the Patriots and Jaspers will face off a final time at the RAC beginning at 5 p.m. Live stats can be found here and the game will be broadcast on ESPN+.