The George Mason men’s volleyball team lost a close five-set match to No. 15 Penn State on April 18 at Rec Hall, ending their regular season with a record of 20 wins for the first time since 2006.
The result places George Mason as the third seed for the upcoming Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association (EIVA) Tournament. The team’s performance this season marks a significant achievement after two hard-fought matches against Penn State.
During Saturday’s match, George Mason (20-9, 8-4 EIVA) won the first and third sets but ultimately fell to Penn State (20-7, 12-0 EIVA) with set scores of 25-20, 13-25, 25-22, 15-25, and 13-15. In the opening set, George Mason achieved a .565 hitting percentage and secured an early lead with contributions from Aidan Weltin and Robert Evangelista. However, service errors and strong play by Penn State’s Tristan Hassell shifted momentum in later sets.
Penn State responded decisively in the second and fourth sets with effective scoring runs led by Hassell and Sean Harvey. The decisive fifth set saw both teams exchange points until Penn State clinched victory after consecutive kills by Harvey ended the match at 15-13.
With this outcome—and NJIT’s win over Sacred Heart—George Mason locks in as the No.3 seed for next week’s tournament at Rec Hall. The Patriots will face Princeton (7-14, 3-9 EIVA) on Wednesday afternoon to begin postseason play.
