Men’s Volleyball’s Five-Set Upset Bid Falls Short at George Mason

FAIRFAX, Va. – After falling behind 0-2, the Ball State men's volleyball team rallied back to tie the match and earned match point twice in set five. Unfortunately, the Cardinals could not close the contest and ultimately fell, 3-2, in an overtime thriller at No. 12 George Mason Thursday night.

TEAM RECORDS

The Cardinals dropped to 3-2 for the year after losing their second straight while the Patriots improved to 3-2.

IMPACT PERFORMANCE

Sophomore Kaleb Jenness had a match and career high 26 kills while hitting .388 for the night. The South Carolina native also added three blocks and eight digs.

STAT LEADERS

Kills- Jenness (26)
Assists- Quinn Isaacson (51)
Aces- Isaacson, Blake Reardon, Matt Szews & Brandon Shepherd (1)
Blocks- Felix Egharevba (6)
Digs- Isaacson (17)

SET-BY-SET SUMMARY

Set One (GMU 26, BSU 24)- Missed opportunities in the opening set haunted the Cardinals in the loss. It was an ideal start to the match for Ball State as a 9-3 run secured a 19-14 lead. BSU went on to earn set point at 24-20, but the Patriots rallied off a 6-0 run to close the set and take a 1-0 advantage in the match.

Set Two (GMU 25, BSU 16)- The disappointment from set one appeared to carry over for Ball State as Mason raced out to a 7-1 lead. Ball State could never trim the deficit to more than five as George Mason cruised to a 2-0 lead.

Set Three (BSU 25, GMU 19)- Ball State responded well in the critical third set and used a 4-0 stretch to take a 13-8 advantage. The Cardinals kept the Patriots at bay the remainder of the game as they led by at least three points all the way to securing the win.

Set Four (BSU 25, GMU 19)- Similar to set three, set four saw BSU go on an early run to gain separation. A 6-2 stretch gave Ball State a 12-7 lead which the Cardinals maintained all the way to evening up the match and forcing a decisive fifth set.

Set Five (GMU 18, BSU 16)- BSU couldn't have asked for a much better start in the final set after grabbing an early 4-1 advantage. Ball State held that lead and switched sides up 8-6. Mason eventually came back to tie the set and the teams traded scores until the Cardinals secured match points at 14-13 and 15-14. Ball State couldn't put the match away either time, and George Mason went on to claim victory with a 18-16 set win.

BALL STATE NOTES

-Thursday marked Ball State's second five-set match this season. The Cardinals defeated Cal State Northridge in the other.

-Shepherd made his Ball State debut as a redshirt freshman Thursday night and finished the match with five kills, one ace, one block and five digs.

-Egharevba's six blocks matched a career high set against Loyola last season.

UP NEXT

Ball State now travels to NJIT for a Saturday night showdown. First serve is scheduled for 6 p.m. ET.

For all the latest on Ball State men's volleyball, follow @BallStateMVB on social media and visit BallStateSports.com.

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Team Stats

Jenness Kaleb

Szews Matt

Egharevba Felix

Reardon Blake

Players Mentioned

Felix Egharevba

Quinn Isaacson

Kaleb Jenness

Blake Reardon

Brandon Shepherd

Matt Szews