Sept. 23, 2005

The George Mason women's volleyball team will host a pair of Colonial Athletic Association teams this weekend with the two matches proving critical to Mason's success this season.

The Patriots will face a pair of teams predicted to finish beneath them in the CAA standings and hosting those teams makes winning a must for the Patriots to continue their 21-year streak of appearances in the CAA Women's Volleyball Tournament. The top six teams out of the 11 that compete in volleyball will participate in the tournament.

Mason is currently 3-7 overall with a 0-3 mark in conference play. The UNC Wilmington Seahawks have an identical record entering the match. However, since 1992, Mason has had a winning record in conference play all but once and produced a CAA mark of 96-35 (.733). Over that same period, UNC Wilmington has had a losing record every season in conference play and the result has been a 20-111 (.153). From 1999 through 2004, the Seahawks were just 6-74 in CAA action.

Georgia State is in its first season in the CAA and the Panthers will make their first-ever trip to Fairfax tonight. The Panthers have won just one match on the season (1-8, 1-3), defeating Delaware on Sept. 9.

Fans should make sure to wear green or gold (yellow) clothing to Saturday's match against UNC Wilmington. Any Mason fans arriving at the match wearing either of those two colors will be admitted to the match for just $1.