Penn State men’s volleyball finished the regular season on a nine-match win streak after defeating George Mason in a two-game series. 

Both matches against the Patriots came down to the final set. In the first set of game one, Penn State had nine attack errors and a .036 hit percentage. Owen Rose said postgame that the team didn’t change the game plan in its comeback attempt.

“I think tonight they came out hot — they’re playing for seeding — so not that it took us by surprise, but it was definitely something we had to weather,” he said. “I think we just had to get back to being ourselves and playing volleyball the way we know how to do it, because when we do that, it’s pretty hard to stop us.”

Despite the struggle against unranked George Mason, Penn State can still extract a lot of upside. For starters, Tristan Hassell had 26 kills, which is the most he’s had in a game all season. The freshman has emerged as a star.

“Down the road, Tristan is going to be somebody as he gets bigger, stronger, and faster. It’s going to be interesting to see how other teams try to handle him,” head coach Mark Pavlik said.

Hassell had moments against George Mason where he exchanged words with opponents. A referee issues him a warning.

“Tristan is a first-year guy, and he’s figuring out how to play his game and to become a better teammate. There’s no question that he’s talented,” Pavlik said.

Pavlik also mentioned a quote from UCLA women’s basketball coach Cori Close stating, “Talent is the floor, character defines your ceiling.”

Ahead of the EIVA tournament, Pavlik believes the Nittany Lions are ready to make a run. He recognizes talent in players like Hassell, but understands that growth will take time.

Penn State has a bonus for the conference tournament; all games will be played at home.

“The guys can do their normal routine here. They can sleep in their own beds, they can eat where they normally eat, and they know where their locker room is. Everything is a regular match here, and that could be good for us,” Pavlik said.

Penn State had four straight matches go the distance to five sets to finish out the season. The Nittany Lions had to come back from two 2-1 deficits and haven’t appeared as dominant down the stretch despite grinding out wins.

Nevertheless, Penn State has a bye in round one. Pavlik said that he will watch the match between Charleston and Sacred Heart on Wednesday. Penn State’s most recent matches against Charleston resulted in two sweeps, but Sacred Heart took the Nittany Lions to five sets in each game.

“We want our guys to take a look and get familiar with what could be going on the other side of the net that we have to prepare to react to. I think that’s a big one for us,” Pavlik said.

Although it’s not easy to say goodbye after 32 seasons of coaching, Pavlik is focused on the games ahead instead of nostalgia. He believes that after the season is over, the idea that his career is over could sink in, but the task remains at hand.

“Everything’s still Groundhog Day. You play, you prepare, you play, you prepare, you play, you prepare, and I’ve done that enough times that it’s like ‘I don’t remember not doing this, so let’s talk in July’,” Pavlik said.

Penn State plays its semifinal match at 7 p.m. on Thursday, April 23, in Rec Hall. If Penn State wins, it will play in the championship game at 7 p.m. on Saturday, April 25, against NJIT, George Mason, or Princeton for an NCAA Tournament berth.