Jan. 30, 2006

Fairfax, Va. - Sophomore outside hitter Hudson Bates was named the Sports Imports/AVCA Division I-II Men's National Player of the Week for his efforts during the week of Jan. 23-29, becoming the sixth Mason player to earn the national honor, and the first since James Claney won the award on March 11, 2002. Bates also was named the Division I-II Player of the Week in the EIVA Conference.

Bates helped lead the Patriots to a 4-0 record last week during the first-ever Patriot Games Tournament at John Linn Memorial Gym as he averaged 3.69 kills, 1.38 blocks, 1.85 digs and 0.39 aces per game while hitting .534. He contributed six kills, four digs, three aces and two blocks while hitting .500 in a three-game win over Puerto Rico-Mayaguez on Jan. 26. Bates hit .308 in a four-game victory over Rutgers-Newark on Jan. 27 as he just missed a triple-double with 15 kills, 10 blocks, nine digs and an ace. He tallied 12 kills on a .550 attack percentage versus St. Francis (Pa.) on Jan. 28. Bates concluded the week against Puerto Rico-Mayaguez with an .882 hitting percentage, the second highest in school history in the rally-scoring era, with 15 kills on 17 errorless attempts, seven digs and five blocks.

For the season, Bates has recorded a .466 hitting percentage with averages of 3.38 kills, 1.31 blocks, 1.75 digs and 0.38 aces per game. The Patriots (7-0) were recognized for their hot start to the season, cracking the CSTV/AVCA Division I-II Men's Coaches Top 15 Poll for the first time this season on Jan. 30. Number 15 Mason faces its toughest test of the season thus far on Thursday, traveling to Columbus, Ohio to face the eighth-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes (7-1) at 7 p.m.