UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – No. 15 Penn State men’s volleyball wrapped up an undefeated regular season in the EIVA with a 3-2 (20-25, 25-13, 22-15, 25-15, 25-13) win over visiting George Mason on Saturday at Rec Hall. The Nittany Lions enter the EIVA Tournament as the top seed with a record of 20-7 overall and 12-0 in the conference thanks to a nine-match winning streak. The Patriots will be the third seed with a record of 20-10, 8-4.
Penn State will host the EIVA Tournament at Rec Hall on Wednesday-Saturday. The Nittany Lions have a bye to the semifinal round, where they wait for the winner between fourth-seeded Charleston and fifth-seeded Sacred Heart.
Sean Harvey posted a huge double-double in Saturday’s win over George Mason, which was the fourth-straight match Penn State won in five sets. The Nittany Lions trailed 2-1 in all four matches. Harvey hit .394 with 18 kills and 15 digs. He added three blocks and one ace. The Nittany Lions received big-time production at both pins. Freshman Tristan Hassell picked up the start at opposite and totaled a career-high 26 kills on .347 hitting in addition to five blocks, seven digs, and two aces.
Both Owen Rose and Ryan Merk have been with the program for five years and were able to celebrate Senior Day with a win. Rose hit .545 with seven kills and eight blocks, while Merk finished with 10 digs. Jaxon Herr and Miller Trubey were also honored for Senior Day following the match.
Robert Evangelista and Aidan Weltin tallied double-digit kills for George Mason, finishing with 15 and 11, respectively.
Penn State improved to 124-18 in the all-time series with George Mason, including wins in each of the past 13 matches. Four straight matches in the series have gone to five sets.
Set 1
George Mason hit .565 and held Penn State to .036 hitting as it took set one 25-20. The Patriots led by just two at 21-19 before scoring four of the final five points.
Set 2
Penn State came alive in set two, hitting .412 in a 25-13 blowout. Hassell tallied five kills, three blocks, and one ace, while Harvey had four kills and no errors on five swings. The Nittany Lions pulled away with a 6-0 run that put them up 16-7. Hassell had two kills and block, and Harvey contributed two kills during that stretch. The Nittany Lions went on to lead by as much as 12 at multiple points during the set.
Set 3
Evangelista’s six kills helped George Mason take the lead in the match with a 25-22 win in set three. The set featured 15 ties and seven lead changes. It was tied as late as 21-21 before the Patriots went on a 3-0 run. Hassell stopped the run with a kill, but Evangelista responded with a kill of his own to end the set.
Set 4
Penn State hit .667 behind 11 assists from Michael Schwob as it rolled to a 25-15 win in set four. Harvey was nearly perfect with six kills on seven attacks, while Hassell added four kills on six swings. The Nittany Lions started strong with a 5-1 lead and controlled the rest of the set.
Set 5
Hassell hit .364 with six kills to lift Penn State to a 15-13 win in the deciding fifth set. Penn State again started fast, this time grabbing a 4-1 lead thanks to a kill and a block apiece from Hassell and Rose. The Nittany Lions later used a 3-0 run to take their largest lead of the set at 11-6. Hassell started and ended that run with kills, while Rose contributed a solo block in the middle. George Mason wasn’t done yet. The Patriots scored seven of the next nine points to tie the score at 13-all. Following a Penn State timeout, Harvey came through with back-to-back kills to end the match.
Career Highs
Sean Harvey – digs (15)
Tristan Hassell – kills (26), digs (7)
Up Next
Penn State hosts the six-team EIVA Tournament at Rec Hall on Wednesday-Saturday. The Nittany Lions open the tournament Thursday with a match in the semifinal around against the winner between fourth-seeded Charleston and fifth-seeded Sacred Heart.