March 15, 2005

The George Mason men's volleyball team embarks on its annual West Coast trip this week as the Patriots head to California to play three games in three days against some elite programs.

On Wednesday night, the 15th-ranked Patriots will take on ninth-ranked California State-Northridge. On Thursday, Mason will face top-ranked UCLA as Mason will face the No. 1 team in the nation for the second straight year. Last year, the Patriots played at BYU when they were at the top of the polls. On Friday, Mason will finish its trip by playing at NAIA powerhouse California Baptist.

The Patriots have faced a pair of ranked teams this year, defeating then 12th-ranked Ball State 3-0 in January and losing to No. 14 Lewis on Saturday night, 3-2. The Patriots opened the season 10-0 and rose to as high as No. 13 in the rankings. Since then, Mason has struggled, going 4-4 and falling to No. 15.

Mason will return home to play on March 25 when the Patriots host Mount Olive at 7 p.m.