April 17, 2010
FAIRFAX, Va. - The 12th-ranked Penn State men's volleyball team closed out the regular season with a 3-1 (24-30, 30-22, 30-27, 36-34) victory against EIVA foe George Mason. The Nittany Lions improved to 21-7 overall with a 10-0 record in league play.
Senior Will Price (Gaithersburg, Md.) led the Lions with 29 kills, while senior Max Lipsitz (Williamsville, N.Y.) was second on the team with 13 kills. Redshirt sophomore setter Edgardo Goas (San Juan, Puerto Rico) dished out 53 assists and junior libero Dennis Del Valle (Toa Alta, Puerto Rico) had a team-best 14 digs. Price also tallied double-digit digs with 11. Goas was a wall at the net with eight blocks, including two solo, and Lipsitz had seven total.
The Nittany Lions attacked a .232 clip and held the Patriots to .177. Penn State had 64 assists, three aces, 46 digs and 15 total team blocks. George Mason totaled 68 kills, three aces, 50 digs and 18.5 team blocks.
The Nittany Lions opened the match taking a 4-1 lead, but the Patriots used two kills and two blocks to tie it up early at 5-5. The score tied twice more before a 4-0 run by GMU put the Patriots ahead, 11-7. The Lions fought to within two, 12-10, after kills from Price and sophomore Ryan Wolf (York, Pa.), but two straight points by the Patriots had George Mason back in the lead by four, 14-10. A short time later, two consecutive Price putdowns and another by Lipsitz had the Lions trailing by only two, 16-14. Another 3-0 Patriot run forced a PSU timeout. Penn State was unable to close the gap. Despite four kills from Price, effective blocking by the Patriots secured set one for GMU, 30-24.
The second set was close from the start with the score tying seven times before a bad set by the Patriots put Penn State in the lead, 11-10. After a George Mason timeout, a Price ace moved the Lions ahead by two, 12-10. A service error allowed the Lions within one, but a 4-1 PSU run had Penn State moving ahead by four, 16-12. The Lions held onto at least a three-point advantage until kills by Price and Pereira gave PSU a 21-16 lead. Following a GMU timeout, four straight points by the Nittany Lions increased Penn State's lead to eight, 25-17. The Patriots came within seven, 26-19, but a Price kill and two GMU errors put the Lions in set-point position. The Patriots briefly held the Lions at 29 as they tallied two kills and a block, but Price won the set with a kill, 30-22.
Penn State jumped out to a 6-1 lead in the third set, but a 5-0 run by George Mason had the teams tied at 6-6. The lead changed hands three times before a joint stuff by Goas and Lipsitz had the set knotted at 15-15. Lipsitz pounded a kill to put the Lions in the lead and teamed up with junior Thomas Pereira (Brasilia, Brazil) for a block to force the Patriots to take a timeout. Two PSU errors allowed George Mason to tie it at 18-18. Neither team could manage a breakaway as the score tied six more times before another block by Goas and Lipsitz and a GMU attack error moved the Lions forward by two, 27-25. GMU called a second timeout, but three attack error gave Penn State a 2-1 match lead with a 30-27 third set win.
The fourth and final set started out much like the second with neither team managing to break away early. By midway through the frame with the score knotted at 15-15, back-to-back Penn State kills gave the Lions a 17-15 edge. After a Patriot timeout, Penn State continued to maintain the lead until two GMU kills and a PSU error allowed George Mason to jump back in and tied the set at 20-20. A PSU timeout, slowed the Patriots enough to allow kills from Price and Pereira to put PSU in the lead once again, 22-20. Penn State's lead was shortlived as a Lion attack error and a GMU block had the score knotted at 23-23. The Nittany Lions' lead grew to four, 28-24, but a 4-0 George Mason run had the Patriots tying the score again at 28-28. The score tied six more times before a putdown by Lipsitz and a GMU attack error gave Penn State a 36-34 victory.
Penn State has the weekend off as EIVA quarterfinals begin having earned a bye after clinching the EIVA regular season title. The Nittany Lions will be back in action on April 29 when they host the EIVA semifinals in Rec Hall.
For more information on the Penn State men's volleyball team, please visit www.GoPSUsports.com. The Penn State men's volleyball 2010 season is presented by Rockvale Outlets and The Outlets at Hershey.