UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – No. 15 Penn State men’s volleyball clinched the EIVA regular season title and hosting rights for the upcoming conference tournament with a 3-2 (25-16, 22-25, 23-25, 25-18, 15-6) win over visiting George Mason on Friday night at Rec Hall. The Nittany Lions, winners of eight straight, upped their record to 19-7 overall and 11-0 in the EIVA. The Patriots saw their eight-match winning streak come to an end and sit at 20-8, 8-3 EIVA.
With the win, Penn State head coach Mark Pavlik moved into sole possession of third place on the NCAA all-time wins list across all divisions in men’s volleyball. He entered the day tied with former Ohio State coaching great Pete Hanson before passing him with his 713th victory. Pavlik, who announced prior to the season that it would be the final season of his 32-year coaching career, picked up the win on a night in which his outstanding accomplishments were honored with over 70 alumni in attendance.
Matthew Luoma stepped up big in the come-from-behind win for Penn State, hitting .378 with a career-high 23 kills in addition to eight digs. Sean Harvey was right behind him offensively, hitting .375 with 20 kills. He also contributed to the defensive effort with five blocks and six digs. Bennett Wilson also shined in multiple facets of the game, totaling nine kills, nine digs, and three blocks.
Penn State held George Mason to .162 hitting. Ryan Merk helped fuel that effort with a team-high 10 digs. Owen Rose and Gaige Gabriel finished with five and four blocks, respectively.
Michael Schwob started at setter for the eighth-straight match, all Penn State wins. He tallied 41 assists to help the Nittany Lions hit .308 as a team.
Penn State dominated the fifth set with the 15-6 win. The Nittany Lions hit .750 while holding George Mason to a -.091 clip. Harvey and Luoma led the way, posting matching lines of four kills and zero errors on five attacks. It was the Nittany Lions’ third straight win in five sets. They trailed 2-1 in all three matches.
George Mason was led by Aidan Welton with a double-double of 12 kills and 11 digs.
Penn State and George Mason close the regular season with a match on Saturday at 3 p.m. at Rec Hall.