FAIRFAX, Va. — The George Mason Men’s Volleyball team won the first game of a two-game series against Manhattan, 3-1, on Friday evening at the Recreation Athletic Complex (RAC). After dropping the first set 20-25, the Patriots won the next three sets 25-23,-25-21 and 26-24.

PATRIOT POINTS


Sophomore pin hitter pin hitter Aidan Weltin had a career night, totaling 21 kills in his four sets played. He broke his previous record of 17 against LIU on March 1st, 2025.
Junior outside hitter Robert Evangelista had 16 kills on the night, close to matching his career-high of 17 that was also set last season against LIU.
The Patriot defense recorded 10 total blocks, with solo blocks coming from Weltin, Alexander Lillie, Georgi Zahariev and Elijah Lazor
George Mason has now won four of their last five games.

Friday evening’s game featured high-octane offenses, four thirty-second long rallies, back-to-back successful challenges from both sides (on one point) and a final set that needed extra playing time. George Mason (4-4, 0-0 EIVA) showcased a dynamic offense with a total of 53 kills and held strong at the net with 10 total blocks, while Manhattan (2-7, 0-0 NEC) edged the Patriots in blocks with 11.

SET 1: GMU – 20, Manhattan – 25

The Jaspers got out the gate with a blistering start and never let up, finishing with a .684 hitting percentage compared to the Patriots’ .320. The first set kicked off with a service error by Wojtek Nowak, giving the Patriots an initial advantage. Manhattan quickly countered with a kill from Kasen Owens to even the score. Aidan Weltin was a standout for George Mason, scoring multiple points with kills set up by Georgi Zahariev’s assists.

However, the Jaspers kept a slight lead with kills from Jovan Marjanovic and Kai Patchell, both assisted by Drew Blonski. Despite a strong push from the Patriots, getting as close as 20-19, Manhattan clinched the set with a 5-1 run, with a service ace from Nowak sealing the deal.

SET 2: GMU – 25, Manhattan – 23

The Patriots bounced back in the second set, edging out a 25-23 victory. Although Manhattan’s attacking percentage cooled down, the Jaspers’ attacking percentage was firing off at a clip of .510 compared to the Patriots .300. However, service errors were frequent on both sides, adding tension to the tightly contested set.

Weltin delivered several kills and aces, including a crucial service ace at 24-22 that paved the way for the final point. When the Patriots scored what they thought was the set-sealing 25th point, Manhattan challenged for a potential hitting error and were successful, reversing the score to 24-23 in slim favor of the Patriots.

Despite strong efforts from Owens and Blake Perkins on Manhattan’s side, Weltin closed out the set with a kill from a Zahariev assist.

SET 3: GMU – 25, Manhattan – 21

In the third set, the Patriots kept the momentum with an early lead, starting with a kill by Robert Evangelista, assisted by Zahariev. The Weltin and Zahariev tandem continued, with Weltin contributing crucial kills at 6-4 and 14-9. Manhattan chipped away and closed the gap to 17-19 after a 4-0 run, with Blonski and Patchell playing key roles in their comeback.

The Patriots pulled away with decisive plays, including a key Weltin solo block at 24-20. Evangelista finished the set with a kill, securing a 25-21 win for George Mason.

SET 4: GMU – 26, Manhattan – 24

The fourth set was a nail-biter, with George Mason narrowly defeating Manhattan 26-24. Evangelista was vital for the Patriots, starting and ending the set with key kills. Manhattan gained early momentum with a service ace and capitalized on George Mason’s attack errors to take a 4-1 lead.

After a lengthy rally, the Patriots scored their second point of the set, to which Manhattan challenged for a potential Patriot touch. Upon further review, the call was reversed, giving the Jaspers a 5-1 advantage. However, Coach Jay Hosack subsequently challenged for a potential net call. After a second round of reviews on the same point, George Mason successfully won their challenge, thus reversing the score again to 4-2.

The Patriots steadily closed the gap. Consistent scoring from Weltin and Evangelista, along with a service ace, helped regain control. As the set tightened, George Mason took advantage of Manhattan’s errors, including a crucial ball handling error by Blonski. Despite the Jaspers’ late comeback attempt that tied the score at 23-23, back-to-back kills from Weltin and Evangelista sealed the victory for the Patriots.

COACH’S CORNER

“Manhattan is a good team, and they brought good service pressure all night tonight,” said head coach Jay Hosack. “I thought we gritted out a tough win, but we have to be cleaner in our serve-receive if we are going to feel confident with our offense like we normally do.”

UP NEXT

George Mason will close out the three-week long homestand tomorrow, February 7th, as the Patriots and Jaspers will face off a final time at the RAC beginning at 5 p.m. Live stats can be found here and the game will be broadcast on ESPN+.