No. 15 Penn State Men’s Volleyball (20-7, 12-0 EIVA) defeated George Mason (20-9, 8-4 EIVA) in a five-set thriller in its final regular-season game.

Tristan Hassell and Sean Harvey were huge for Penn State. They combined for 44 kills on the day, dominating the offense.

The first set was sloppy for Penn State, but the team really turned it around throughout the game. After a hard-fought battle, the Nittany Lions won by two points in the final set.

How It Happened

Penn State got off to a strong start, winning the first four out of five points. Owen Rose had three kills to lead the Nittany Lions to a dominant streak. George Mason kept it close after a few errors by Penn State.

Tristan Hassell helped Penn State take a 9-6 lead with two kills. His athleticism and high jumping skills were key factors on offense for the team. George Mason tied the game 10-10 after a service error by Penn State and two straight kills.

Penn State regained its lead 12-11 after two more kills from Hassell. George Mason’s blocking allowed it to take a lead over Penn State. The team struggled to get past the front lines on spikes. George Mason took a three-point lead before a media timeout.

Sean Harvey had a strong kill to make it a one-point difference. George Mason responded with a few more kills to make it an 18-16 game. Penn State struggled to block George Mason’s spikes and had two service errors, which put the Patriots up 20-17. Penn State called a timeout.

George Mason had a service error, but then had a strong block to maintain a three-point lead. The Patriots then recorded a kill and another point off an attack error by the Nittany Lions. Penn State called another timeout after falling behind 24-20.

George Mason won the first set after an attack error by the Nittany Lions. Penn State had zero aces in the first set and nine attack errors. The Patriots had zero attack errors, four blocks, and a .535 hit percentage. Penn State had a .36 hit percentage, zero blocks, and three fewer kills.

The second set started with a service error from Penn State. But, after a kill from Harvey and a block from Hassell, the team went up 3-2. Hassell had two more kills, and the Patriots had a service error, which extended the Nittany Lions’ lead.

Hassell had the first ace of the game for Penn State, but George Mason kept fighting with a block. The game went to 7-5, with Penn State leading. The next two points went to Penn State after a service error and an ace from Bennett Wilson.

Penn State took a five-point lead, and George Mason called a timeout. The team improved its serves and returned the ball with more confidence. Michael Schwob started with an ace after the timeout. Hassell had two kills to extend Penn State’s lead. Harvey followed with another kill, and Penn State went on a six-point streak.

George Mason finally responded with a block. But the Nittany Lions scored two more points after a kill by Hassell and Wilson. The next two points were also scored by Penn State after a kill and a block. George Mason eventually put up points after a service error and a kill, but was still far away from coming back.

The Nittany Lions had three more points to win the set after an ace from Wilson and two service errors by George Mason. Penn State won the second set 25-13, heavily improving from the first set.

Penn State scored the first point of the third set. Hassell had a kill to get the Nittany Lions started. The next three points resulted in a block for Penn State and two kills for George Mason. Hassell had two more kills to put Penn State ahead of the Patriots 4-3.

George Mason eventually took a two-point lead after a kill, block, and attack error. Penn State began to struggle with digs and blocks. The Nittany Lions got a point on a service error, but then caused one themselves. The team then had two more service errors, but Harvey had a kill to keep them going. The game was 11-9 as George Mason led.

Penn State tied the set after an ace by Schwob and a kill by Hassell. The team then took the lead after a kill by Harvey. George Mason then tied the game again with a kill.

The next four points went back and forth between the two teams. Harvey and Hassell both had kills, then Hassell had an ace to put Penn State back in the lead. George Mason tied the game again, and the teams repeated this cycle two more times. The set was neck and neck at 18-all.

George Mason then took the lead after a service and attack error by Penn State. Rose and Wilson got kills to tie the game, but the Patriots kept taking one step ahead. George Mason scored three straight points to go to 24. Hassell had a kill, but then the Patriots did as well to win the third set.

The third set wasn’t as dominant from the Nittany Lions, but the team was right next to the Patriots the whole time.

George Mason had the first point of the fourth set with a block. Rose had a kill to tie it, and an attack error put them in a lead, up 2-1. Penn State then scored three straight points after an ace by Harvey and two errors by George Mason.

Penn State then took a five-point lead after attack errors by George Mason and a kill by Hassell. The Nittany Lions went up 8-3. Three kills by Harvey put Penn State up 11-5 over the Patriots, and it looked to be in better offensive shape than the third set.

The teams went back and forth on the next four points, but the Nittany Lions jumped ahead. Jaidyn Bethel jumped into the kill board along with Rose to jump ahead 15-9. The Patriots had a few kills as well, but Penn State’s spikes became too powerful to handle.

The Patriots had a few attack and service errors, and Hassell and Harvey had a kill to go up seven over the Patriots. George Mason called a timeout, but after the timeout, Hassell had two more kills.

The offense led by Harvey and Hassell continued to dominate the set. George Mason had a very attack errors to put the Nittany Lions in the lead. Furthermore, Harvey and Hassell finished the set with kills to win 25-15.

The game went down to the fifth set to determine a victor.

Penn State started the set up two points after a block and a kill by Hassell. The Nittany Lions took an early 4-1 lead.

George Mason then got two points after a service and attack error, but Penn State bounced back with a kill from Bethel and a block. Hassell got a kill shortly after, and George Mason had an attack error. Penn State went up 8-5.

After a timeout, George Mason blocked the ball for a point, but Hassell responded with another kill. The Patriots responded with an ace and a block. Penn State called a timeout to recenter.

George Mason scored three straight points to make it a one-point difference. Penn State had two attack errors and a service error to make the game 13-12. The Patriots then tied the game, but Harvey had two kills to give Penn State the win.

Penn State won in a five-set thriller 3-2, and won 15-13 in the fifth set.

Takeaways

• Tristan Hassell was an offensive powerhouse, finishing the game with 26 kills. The freshman continues to prove he is dominant on the court.
• Sean Harvey also played a key role for the Nittany Lions with 18 kills. He was alongside Hassell in leading the offense on the day.
• Mark Pavlik made a decision to sub in Jaidyn Bethel late into the game, who helped keep the team in check.
• The first set was sloppy for Penn State, but the team turned it around and stayed with George Mason the whole game.

What’s Next?

Penn State will play its first-round EIVA Tournament game on Wednesday, April 22, at Rec Hall. The time and opponent are TBA.