FAIRFAX, Virginia – The Penn State men's volleyball team had its three-game conference win streak snapped with a loss in straight sets at #13 George Mason Friday evening.
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Set
- Penn State got off to a solid start to lead 13-9 on a kill by Jason Donorovich, forcing a George Mason timeout.
- The Patriots rattled off seven of the next eight points retake a 16-14 advantage.
- A kill by Calvin Mende and a Mason error allowed PSU to tie the score, but George Mason scored three of the next four to go ahead 20-17. Penn State called timeout.
- Penn State pulled back within one at 23-22, but George Mason finished off the set with back-to-back kills from Sam Greensdale and Hayden Wagner.
- Set Score: 25-22 George Mason
- Match Score: 1-0 George Mason
Second Set
- Sam Marsh and Mende teamed up for a block to tie the score 4-4, but a service error by the Nittany Lions, a block, and a kill by the Patriots gave them a 7-4 lead.
- Mende mustered another kill to tie the score 12-12. George Mason responded by regaining the lead and never giving it up for the rest of the set.
- Set Score: 25-19 George Mason
- Match Score: 2-0 George Mason
Third Set
- The Patriots grab a hold of the third set with the first four points of the set and led 7-3.
- After a Nittany Lion timeout, Penn State closed the gap to four at 11-7, but George Mason rallied once again with the next four points to lead 15-7.
- The deficit proved to be a bit too much for the Nittany Lions who only managed to get the score back within as close as six at 19-13 and 24-18 before Greensdale tallied the match-ending kill.
- Set Score: 25-18 George Mason
- Match Score: 3-0 George Mason
STAT STANDOUTS
- Calvin Mende returned to the Penn State lineup for his first game since Jan. 18 vs. BYU. He led Penn State with 12 kills while hitting .276 (12-4-29).
- Jason Donorovich added to his team high ace total with two more tonight, bringing his season total to 20. He also had four kills and a team-high four block assists.
- Henry Payne and Henrik Falck Lauten each had six kills for Penn State, though they also had a combined 11 hitting errors. Payne led the Nittany Lions with seven digs.
- George Mason's Hayden Wagner and Sam Greensdale led the Patriots with 21 combined kills.
GAME NOTES
- George Mason out-hit the Nittany Lions .349 to .149 for the match. The Patriots had 43 kills to Penn State's 30.
- The Patriots also had 34 digs to Penn State's 20 while also holding a slight 8-7 advantage in total blocks.
- Henry Payne started his first career match. This starting lineup was the fifth different lineup the Nittany Lions have had in 2019.
NEXT UP
- The Nittany Lions travel to West Virginia to take on Charleston Sunday at 2 p.m.