FAIRFAX, Va. – Penn State men’s volleyball kept its EIVA regular season title hopes alive with an instant classic at the Recreation Athletic Complex on Saturday night, outlasting George Mason 3-2 (26-24, 23-25, 29-31, 32-30, 15-12) for a fourth-consecutive win.
The Nittany Lions moved their record to 10-14 overall and 7-3 in the EIVA with a second five-set win over George Mason in as many nights. They sit two matches behind first-place Princeton with two to play. The teams close the regular season against each other with two matches at Rec Hall on Friday and Saturday. Princeton needs just one win to clinch the title and hosting rights for the conference tournament, while Penn State must win both to ensure the postseason event will be played at Rec Hall for a fifth-straight time.
Penn State’s defense stepped up big in the win over George Mason, totaling 16 blocks while holding the Patriots to .195 hitting. The team’s middles, Gaige Gabriel and Owen Rose, led the way with five blocks apiece. Michael Schwob and Will Kuhns were right behind them with four and three, respectively.
If the attack got past the strong Penn State block, Ryan Merk and Carter Dittman were there to prevent the kill. Merk led all players with 12 digs, marking the sixth time in eight career matches against George Mason that the libero reached double-digits. Dittman’s nine digs were a career high, easily surpassing his previous high of six in a match against Ball State earlier this season.
Penn State sophomore Michael Schwob totaled a career-high 61 assists and added seven digs. Kuhns and Matthew Luoma received a large chunk of the sets and finished with 17 and 16 kills, respectively. Trubey was strong off the bench for the second-straight night, finishing with nine kills over three sets played, while Dittman started the final four sets and chipped in with seven kills. Rose had one of his best offensive nights of the season with nine kills on .400 hitting. Gabriel contributed six kills while hitting .357.
Evan Snodgrass was the top player for George Mason in a losing effort, hitting .444 with 15 kills. Gio Collazo, whose jump serve led to four aces on the night, led the team with 17 kills but it came on .111 hitting. Jackson Herbert and Robert Evangelista finished with 13 and 11 kills, respectively.
Penn State has won 11 straight matches against George Mason, upping its record to 122-18 in the all-time series.
Set 1
Luoma’s five blocks helped Penn State pull out a 26-24 win in the opening set. It was a rollercoaster ride on the way to victory. The Nittany Lions led 9-4 after a 3-0 run was capped with a kill by Rose. They later trailed by as much as four at 21-17 after a 4-0 run by George Mason. The Patriots led by four again at 23-19 before Penn State went on a 3-0 run that started with a block and a kill by Rose. Later trailing 24-22, the Nittany Lions stopped two Patriots chances at set point, the first with a kill by Schwob and the second with an attack error by the opposition. That was the start of a 4-0 run to close the set. Luoma followed with a kill. Rose and Schwob then secured a 1-0 lead in the match with a block.
Set 2
Luoma had six kills on .556 hitting but it wasn’t enough in set two as George Mason came out on top 25-23. The Patriots hit .310 behind 13 assists from Troy McDonald, while Penn State hit .300 thanks to 14 assists by Schwob. George Mason led by as much as five at 19-14 following a kill by Herbert. Penn State battled back to get within one at 21-20 after a block by Kuhns and later tied the score at 22-all and 23-all. An ace by Collazo gave the Patriots a chance at set point and they converted with an attack error by the Nittany Lions.
Set 3
Things looked bleak for Penn State after set three. The Nittany Lions blew a 17-10 lead as George Mason came back to win 31-29. Penn State opened the set with a 5-0 run that included two kills and a block by Kuhns. The lead ballooned to 11-3 following a 4-0 run that was sparked by a kill and a block from Gabriel. The lead was still large at six when the Nittany Lions went up 20-14 with an ace by Kuhns. George Mason chipped away at the deficit to get within three at 21-18 and then shortly after went on a 4-0 run to tie it up at 22-22. The Nittany Lions had just once chance at set point after a block by Rose made it 29-28. The Patriots not only stopped that chance but went on a 3-0 run to close the set. The run started with a kill by Evangelista and a block by Elijah Lazor and finished with a Penn State attack error. The Nittany Lions’ loss came despite Kuhns hitting .357 with eight kills and holding the Patriots to .086 hitting as a team.
Set 4
Penn State shrugged off the tough loss in set three and bounced back with a 32-30 win in set four. It was Trubey’s time to shine as he racked up seven kills to help the Nittany Lions overcome 10 kills by Collazo. The Nittany Lions continued their unpredictable play. They trailed by as much as four at 8-4 and later led by four at 24-20 after a kill by Kuhns. Collazo put George Mason on his back with three kills over the next four points to help tie the match at 24-all. The Patriots took their first lead of the set at 26-25 following an ace by Collazo. It was their first of four chances at match point that were stopped by Penn State. Overall, the Nittany Lions needed six chances at set point before they converted. A block by Schwob made it 31-30. He then set Kuhns for a kill to close the set.
Set 5
The fifth set featured eight ties and two lead changes before Penn State pulled away for the 15-12 win. Kuhns took over, hitting .667 with five kills and one ace. The Nittany Lions trailed 8-7 before going on a 3-0 run with kills by Trubey, Schwob, and Kuhns to take a 10-8 advantage. That kill by Kuhns was the start of him scoring five of Penn State’s final six points, with the other coming on a service error. He had four kills during that stretch, three of which prevented the Patriots from tying the score. His final point came on an ace to clinch the match.
Career Highs
Carter Dittman – kills (7), assists (1), digs (9)
Michael Schwob – assists (61)
Up Next
Penn State hosts No. 19 Princeton on Friday and Saturday at Rec Hall. The Tigers are 13-9 overall and 9-1 in the EIVA following seven straight wins over Daemen (3-1), Sacred Heart (3-1), Sacred Heart (3-0), George Mason (3-1), George Mason (3-0), Harvard (3-0), and Harvard (3-2).