Purdue Fort Wayne
8-1,0-0MIVA
George Mason
1-8,0-1EIVA
Team Stats
Game Leaders
Players Mentioned
Mastodon MVB Wins Marathon Contest at George Mason
2/4/2023 10:42:00 PM | Men's Volleyball
FAIRFAX, Va. - Purdue Fort Wayne men's volleyball won the DC Challenge on Saturday night (Feb. 4) with an instant classic five-set victory over George Mason 20-25, 25-22, 29-31, 25-22, 17-15. There were 50 tie scores and 26 total lead changes in Saturday's two-hour and 42-minute contest.
The Mastodons were down 11-7 in the final set before storming back on the shoulders of Jon Diedrich. Diedrich had yet to register a kill to that point in the fifth set, but he had four kills and an ace in the 10-4 finishing run.
Diedrich was phenomenal all night. He finished with 27 kills while still managing to hit .377 on 53 swings. He added five blocks (three solo), four digs and two aces. His 27 kills are the most in a match for him since his first match as a collegiate player.
After George Mason took the first set, the Patriots led 21-19 in set two and were nearing a 2-0 start to the match. Bryce Walker took over from that point, however. He had three blocks and a kill on the 7-1 run to even up the match. Davey Singer served the 'Dons back into the match.
Walker nearly willed the Mastodons to a third set win as well. On George Mason set point at 28-27, he had back-to-back kills to bring up set point for the 'Dons, but the Patriots got a 3-0 push to close the set and take a 2-1 lead. There were no blocks either way in the third set, but both teams still hit under .300, in large part to the defense. Noah Melendez had five of his match-high 13 digs in the third.
Diedrich was virtually unstoppable again in the fourth, notching nine more kills. Purdue Fort Wayne overcame a 5-0 Patriot run in set four to go up 13-11 by going on a 5-0 run of its own. The Mastodon run included a kill and block from Diedrich, a block from Walker and Sergio Carrillo and a red card on the home team. Then Diedrich sent the match to a fifth with another kill.
Purdue Fort Wayne had 52 digs, its most since the regular season finale of 2022. The Mastodons out-blocked the Patriots 15-11.
Carrillo finished with 48 assists, pacing the 'Dons to a .275 hitting percentage. The Patriots hit .233. Wilmer Hernandez had a career-high 12 digs and Mark Frazier added a career-high of nine. Walker tied his career-high with seven blocks to go with his season-high 14 kills.
With Saturday's win, Purdue Fort Wayne moves to 8-1. George Mason falls to 1-8. The Mastodons will return to the court on Wednesday when they visit Maryville for an 8 p.m. first serve. MIVA play opens two days later at Lindenwood.
~ Feel the Rumble ~
