March 30, 2013
FAIRFAX, Va. - The 13th-ranked Penn State men's volleyball team (17-6, 11-1 EIVA) outlasted George Mason Saturday night earning a 3-2 (25-23, 17-25, 19-25, 27-25, 15-10) victory.
With the win the Nittany Lions clinched at least a share of the 2013 EIVA title. Penn State currently sits atop the EIVA standings with a conference record of 11-1, while both George Mason and Princeton have league records of 8-3. Penn State has two final regular season EIVA matches remaining.
Sophomore Aaron Russell (Ellicott City, Md.) led the Nittany Lions with 17 kills, while redshirt sophomore Nick Goodell (Ambridge, Pa.) posted 15. Redshirt freshman Taylor Hammond (Mission Viejo, Calif.) paced the offense tallying 49 assists and had a match-high 11 digs. Redshirt sophomore Connor Curry (Newport Beach, Calif.) was second on the team with nine digs. Goodell and senior Nick Turko (Lewisberry, Pa.) each put up five blocks.
Penn State hit .211 against the Patriots (12-11, 8-3 EIVA) and totaled 57 kills, four aces, 39 digs and 9.5 total team blocks. George Mason hit .168 with 47 kills, dix aces, 29 digs and 12.0 team blocks.
Penn State managed to take the lead midway through set one, 13-10. George Mason called a timeout, but Penn State maintained control and increased its lead to four, 15-11. The Patriots managed to come within three points on three occasions. The Lions called a timeout with an 18-15 lead and capitalized on two GMU errors for a 20-15 advantage. George Mason used its second timeout, but two PSU kills and a block helped the Nittany Lion lead grow to six, 23-17. Despite a kill from George Mason, junior Peter Russell (Ellicott City, Md.) pounded a kill to put PSU at set point, 24-18. The Patriots mounted a 5-0 run to close the gap to one, 24-23. Peter Russell closed out the set with a kill for a 25-23 PSU win.
George Mason went on to win the next two sets taking set two with a score of 25-17 and set three by a score of 25-19. In set two, the teams were close early on with the score knotted at 10-10 when George Mason began a 7-1 run for a 17-11 lead. Penn State used both of its timeouts during the run with the second break temporarily slowing the Patriots. The Lions pulled within four twice, but two consecutive GMU kills had the Patriots leading, 21-15. Penn State managed two final points before George Mason claimed the set.
In set three, with the score tied at 4-4 a 5-0 GMU run gave the Patriots a 9-4 advantage. Penn State called a timeout, but the Patriots lead grew to seven, 13-6. The Nittany Lions headed back to the bench, but George Mason continued to press forward with its lead growing to double-digits, 19-9. Aaron Russell put down a kill sparking a 4-1 run to pull PSU within seven, 20-13. George Mason called a timeout and despite tallying two points, three PSU kills and a GMU error narrowed the gap to five, 22-17. The Patriots used their final timeout and traded points with the Nittany Lions to slowly secure set three, 25-19.
After another close start in the fourth frame, kills from Goodell and Hammond and a PSU block pushed PSU up by three, 11-8. A 4-0 run by George Mason put the Patriots on top by a slim 12-11 lead. Penn State called a timeout and redshirt junior Scott Kegerreis (Honeybrook, Pa.) knotted the score at 12-12 with a kill. Neither team was able to develop any momentum to take firm control with the score tying four times before back-to-back George Mason errors gave the Lions a 19-17 lead. Following a George Mason timeout, a Patriot kill and a PSU error pulled George Mason within one, 20-19. The Nittany Lions used their final timeout, but George Mason continued its push and tied it up at 21-21. The score tied four more times before an Aaron Russell kill put Penn State at set point a final time. A George Mason error gave Penn State a 27-25 triumph.
The fifth set was tight from the beginning. It wasn't until the teams switched sides that two straight GMU errors gave the Nittany Lions a two-point lead, 10-8. George Mason called a timeout but Goodell followed it with a kill. The Patriots headed back to their bench and answered with a kill. However, an error by GMU and two kills from redshirt freshman Matt Seifert (Reading, Pa.) had PSU at match point, 14-10. Penn State came away with the victory on a George Mason error.
Penn State returns home on April 5 to host Lees-McRae. The Nittany Lions will honor the seniors prior to the 7 p.m. match.
For more information on the Penn State men's volleyball team, please visit GoPSUsports.com. The Penn State men's volleyball 2013 season is presented by Rockvale Outlets.