April 7, 2004

The George Mason men's volleyball team begins a critical three-game home stand on Thursday night when they host St. Francis (Pa.) University in an Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association match at Linn Memorial Gymnasium.

The Patriots and Red Flashes occupy the bottom two spots in the Tait Division and they are separated by just half a game. St. Francis is 2-9 while George Mason is 2-8.

The first time the teams faced off was March 20 when the Red Flashes won a tight match, winning the fifth set, 16-14. The Patriots won their two games in dominant fashion, but lost three games by a tight margin. The final score was 32-30, 23-30, 30-28, 19-30, 16-14. The loss snapped a four-game winning streak. The Patriots have lost four straight since that defeat and stand at 4-16 on the season.

In the match last month, the Patriots outhit St. Francis, .170-.087. The Patriots had more kills, digs, blocks, aces and assists and committed just three more service errors.

For the Patriots to recapture the form that allowed them to win four straight and to upset ninth-ranked Ball State, they will need to get increased production from several sources.

Felix Campos is averaging 5.12 kills per game, and he has maintained a 5-plus average all year. He is currently second in the EIVA in kills per game and third in the NCAA. But he has had inconsistent production at the other outside hitter spot. When Dustin Crosby is on his game, however, the Patriots have been difficult to stop.

As a team, the Patriots are hitting just .202 on the season. In their four wins, they hit .322. St. Francis has a .202 hitting percentage on the year but .256 in their wins. They have played just once since defeating George Mason and that was a 3-1 win at Vassar.

Game time on Thursday night is set for 7 p.m.