Oct. 16, 2003

FAIRFAX, VA--George Mason University's women's volleyball team (7-9, 3-2) will host two conference match-ups this weekend against Delaware (Oct. 17) and Hofstra (Oct. 18) at the John Linn Gymnasium at 7 p.m. and 5 p.m., respectively. This weekend also marks the kick-off for the Student-Athlete Advisory Council's year long canned food drive, which will run through May 2004.

The Patriots boast a 3-3 record when playing on their own turf, with Mason's last wins at home coming against William & Mary and UNC Wilmington. The Patriots defeated the Tribe, 3-1, on Oct. 10 with their largest home attendance thus far this season and Mason went on to claim a three-game victory over the Seahawks on Oct. 11.

Senior outside hitter Aline Pereira (Sao Paolo, Brazil) leads the Colonial Athletic Association with 6.02 kills per game after nailing 355 kills on the year, while junior setter Jesica Umansky (Buenos Aires, Argentina) is third in the conference with 11.22 assists per game. Thus far this season, Pereira has garnered CAA Player of the Week honors (Sept. 15), while freshman middle blocker Janelle Wilson (Towanda, KS) was named conference rookie of the week for her efforts this past weekend.

During the year, each of Mason's athletic teams will select several home competitions to place a SAAC food box at the event. Students, faculty, staff and the surrounding community are encouraged to bring a canned food item with them this weekend to be placed in the box upon entering the volleyball matches. At the end of the food drive, all proceeds will be donated to a local food bank in the community.