COLUMBUS, Ohio \u2014\u00a0On the second and final day of the season’s inaugural road swing, the No. 20 George Mason Men’s Volleyball team lost\u00a0to No. 2 Long Beach State, 3-0,\u00a0in Friday afternoon’s match at the Covelli Center. The Patriots fell in straight sets with scores of 25-21, 25-16\u00a0and 25-15.
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PATRIOT POINTS<\/p>\n
\nGeorge Mason\u00a0(0-3, 0-0 EIVA) fought hard in the early stages of the game against Long Beach State (4-0, 0-0 Big West), but the relentless waves of pressure from the Beach slowly took hold of the game. While the Patriots were close to the Beach in kills (35 to 27) and digs (24 to 19), they were statistically outmatched in aces (8 to 0) and blocks (14 to 1).<\/p>\n SET #1: GMU – 21, LBSU – 25 The Patriots were able to get the score to as close as 18-16 after the first break.\u00a0However, Long Beach State’s Jake Pazanti’s effective setting allowed his teammates, Hershtynovich and Alex Kandev, to earn multiple kills, sealing the set 25-21.<\/p>\n SET #2: GMU – 16, LBSU – 25 Long Beach State capitalized on errors and maintained their lead. The set ended with a service ace by Skyler Varga, giving Long Beach State a 25-16 win.<\/p>\n SET #3: GMU – 15 LBSU – 25 Although the Patriots could break the scoring runs, they struggled to capitalize opportunities\u00a0with attack errors. Long Beach State’s Kandev and Varga extended their lead with multiple kills, and the Beach secured a match-sealing\u00a0third set, 25-15.<\/p>\n
\n\tSophomore pin hitter Aidan Weltin<\/a>\u00a0led the Patriot offense for a second straight day with eight\u00a0kills.
\n\tJunior outside hitter Robert Evangelista<\/a>\u00a0had the second-most kills on the team with five. Sophomore middle blocker
\n\tAlexander Lillie<\/a> had four kills in four attempts.
\n\tSophomore libero\u00a0Stef Kins<\/a> and junior setter Gabe Metcalf<\/a> led the team in digs with four. Weltin and redshirt junior libero Robby Nardoni<\/a> were tied for second with three.
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\nThe opening set was the tightest of the three sets played. Long Beach State jumped ahead with an early block by Daniil Hershtynovich and Ben Braun, claiming a 4-2 lead. Senior setter Georgi Zahariev<\/a>\u00a0delivered a crucial kill from a Jackson Herbert<\/a> assist, tying the score at 5-5. At the end of the first break, the Beach were only up 15-13.<\/p>\n
\nIn the second set, George Mason jumped to an early 3-2 lead, trading points with Long Beach State. Despite the Beach going on a 6-1 run afterwards, Aidan Weltin<\/a> and Herbert added kills, keeping the Patriots within reach.<\/p>\n
\nWhile the Patriots scored the first point of the set, Long Beach State went on multiple three-plus point runs, establishing a solid lead with service aces and blocks. Varga’s ace and consecutive blocks pushed the score to 5-1 and was later pushed to 15-9 by the break.<\/p>\n