Men's Volleyball: George Mason down, Penn State up next

The Tigers (15-9) bested George Mason (8-19) last night at Penn State in similar fashion to their quarterfinal match, dropping the first set before going on a 3-0 game run to clinch the match, 22-30, 31-29, 30-23, 30-26. The win earns Princeton a spot in the EIVA finals, marking its first appearance since 1998.

The game opened with senior outside hitter and co-captain Carl Hamming firing a kill and then contributing a block with a fellow senior, middle blocker and co-captain Jeff McCown. Despite an energetic opening by the seniors, George Mason pulled out to a 6-3 lead and forced a Princeton timeout. Junior outside hitter Vincent Tuminelli came out of the timeout swinging and fired a kill on a set from sophomore setter Scott Liljestrom, but not before the Patriots extended their lead to 12-6. Liljestrom would finish the game with 58 assists.

The Patriots went up 19-12 before Princeton attempted to regroup with another timeout. Despite efforts at a better defensive game, the Patriots won, 30-22, outblocking the Tigers five to one.

A fired-up Tuminelli opened the second game with two consecutive kills. Mason quickly responded and tied it at two before a kill from freshman middle blocker Michael Dye put Princeton back in the lead. McCown and freshman outside hitter Pat Schwagler contributed kills that extended the Tigers’ lead. The Tigers later looked to Schwagler, the EIVA’s Top Newcomer of the Year, to break a tie at eight. Schwagler tallied five kills in the second match en route to his double-double performance of 10 kills and 15 digs.

George Mason took the lead for the first time at 13-11 and Princeton trailed until a block by Schwagler and McCown and an attack error by the Patriots tied the score at 18. A service ace from Liljestrom earned the lead back for the Tigers, but the Patriots would not give up easily. They tied the score at 29 before a Schwagler kill and a Hamming block squeezed out the win in Princeton’s favor, 31-29.

Kills from Dye, Tuminelli and Hamming, all set up by Liljestrom, put the Tigers up 3-2 early in the third set. Though George Mason tried to mount a comeback, a block from Tuminelli and McCown quelled the Patriots’ offensive effort. Dye hit a team-best .562 attack percentage while Hamming and McCown would both contribute five kills in the set. Hamming finished with a double-double of 19 kills and 19 digs. Freshman libero Sean Cotter also contributed 12 digs.

A service error and an attack error by the Patriots ended the game 30-23 in Princeton’s favor, putting the Tigers at a 2-1 advantage.

The fourth and final set consisted of awesome efforts from the senior leadership. Princeton did not see its first lead until the fifth of seven Carl Hamming kills in the set put the Tigers ahead 11-10. McCown followed it up with a solo block and ensured a lead the Tigers never reliquished.

But, it was not just the offensive game that allowed the Tigers to defeat the Patriots. Schwagler and Dye blocked a Patriot shot that put the Princeton lead at three. The two then combined for another block with Hamming in the next point, pushing the score to 17-13.

The match ended with McCown and Hamming blocking a shot, finishing the game, 30–26.

Princeton will face Penn State in the finals on Saturday, the only EIVA team it has not beaten this year. Throughout the season, though, the team has proven that they only get stronger as matches go on. They can only hope to continue this trend to the tournament’s end.