Jan. 18, 2007

FAIRFAX, Va. - No. 15 George Mason (0-0) opens its 2007 men's volleyball campaign Friday at 7 p.m. against the Ball State Cardinals (1-2) at John Linn Memorial Gym. The Patriots are ranked No. 15 in the latest CSTV/AVCA Division I-II Men's Top 15 Coaches Poll, after being unranked in the initial poll. Ball State held the No. 15 ranking last week but dropped out of the poll. Tickets to the match will cost $5 for adults and $2 for youth and senior citizens.

George Mason's men's volleyball will be a team searching to find its identity as it heads into the 2007 season. The team will have to replace three graduating senior standouts from last year's team in setter Bryan Newcomb, opposite hitter Shaun Powell and middle blocker Matt Steinfurth.

Those are tough shoes to fill considering each of the aforementioned names made First-Team EIVA All-East last season. In addition to that honor, Powell was a First-Team All-American, EIVA Player of the Year and an EIVA All-Championship Team selection, Newcomb was the EIVA Newcomer of the Year and Steinfurth led the nation in blocks per game.

Achieving that level of play and the high bar set by last year's team, who recorded 22 wins - the most since the 1995 season - along with an 11-1 conference record and a perfect 12-0 mark in home matches, will be a tough act to follow but one the program is ready to embark on as the 2007 season approaches.

Mason finished last season ranked 14th in the nation, marking the second consecutive season the Patriots finished the season ranked among the nation's top 15. While Mason certainly has the potential to reach the national rankings once again, as evidenced by the Patriots being picked to finish second in the Tait Division in the EIVA Preseason Poll and being listed in the others receiving votes category in the initial CSTV/AVCA Division I-II Men's Top 15 Coaches Poll, the expectations for this team at the start of the season are different than last year.

"I think we're dealing with knowing that this team is not last year's team," said head coach Fred Chao, who enters his ninth season as the Patriots' head coach in 2007. "There will be different expectations, a different focus and different measures of success. Our success will not be measured in just wins and losses as we were able to do last year. Each player is still making individual steps to become a better player, whereas for a few of the guys we had last year, training wasn't necessarily going to make them more skilled."

With that said, the team returns some highly skilled players, including two members of last year's EIVA All-East First-Team - senior libero Graham Sheppard and redshirt junior outside hitter Hudson Bates.

Sheppard - the only libero named to the conference's first team - was a defensive force for Mason last season, leading the team in receiving percentage with a mark of .956, as well as finishing second on the team in digs with 138, for an average of 1.53 per game. His 451 digs rank third on the all-time career record list at Mason during the rally-scoring era.

Bates followed up his 2005 EIVA Newcomer of the Year performance with a strong sophomore season, finishing second on the team in kills per game (3.59) and points per game (4.39) to Powell. Bates' 699 kills ranks fifth all-time on the career records list at Mason during the rally-scoring era. While his play on the court speaks for itself, it appears Bates is also taking on more of a leadership role with this year's team than in season's past.

"Hudson has learned that he's not just a player on this team but he's someone who defines this team, and to do that he had to examine everything he was doing," Chao said. "He's been willing to make adjustments to his game and has taken on responsibility for this team and been a role model for everybody. He didn't have to do that as much in seasons past but I think he sees that this team is going to need him to become more of a leader."

A player who didn't see the court last season, but will see significant playing time in 2007 is William Price, an opposite hitter from Gaithersburg High School in Laytonsville, Md. While Price has yet to appear in a match for the Patriots, he gained tremendous experience playing for the USA Junior National Team this past summer.

"I think his experience on the Junior National Team definitely opened his eyes to what he's capable of doing," Chao said. "It gives him perspective that he does have this gift. He needs to maximize it."

Another redshirt from last season that could see some playing time this year is Ryan Kwiatkowski, a setter from Neuqua Valley High School in Naperville, Ill. Kwiatkowski and redshirt junior Billy Freesmeier are both attempting to take over the starting setter role vacated by Newcomb.

"Billy's experience is giving him the edge in this position," Chao said. "Ryan has some things he still needs to iron out. Billy is doing a nice job trying to take over the reigns from Bryan, but Ryan is nipping at his heels. Right now it's Billy's job and Ryan has to take it from him."

A newcomer last season that didn't redshirt, but came in and immediately saw significant playing time was Kyle Gramit. Chao is counting on Gramit to build on the experience he gained during his freshman season at the outside hitter position.

"I think playing a lot as a freshman really helped him," Chao said. "He came in last season ready to play. He never backed off anything and was never scared of anything. Now he just needs to learn how to be consistent, to know what he should be doing on the court at all times."

Also returning from last year's team are redshirt junior outside hitter Mark Burik and senior middle blocker Kyle Swanson. Burik is a versatile player who will see time at a number of different positions on the court. His contributions to this team reach far beyond what he does on the court.

"He's becoming someone that is defining this team in terms of his intensity, drive and ambition." Chao said. "He is pushing everybody in their position and that is something that we need to have. He pushes others on the team in practice, the weight room and he does extremely well academically. He is another good example of someone who understands what this team needs."

With R.J. Goubeaux redshirting this season while recovering from shoulder surgery, Swanson will see significantly more playing time this season than in past years.

"He's not as physical as the other middles we've had but he's been playing against them so now we just have to see what he can do against other teams," Chao said. "He has experience; we just need him to accept a larger role and play the entire game well, rather than just parts of games. I think he's ready to take on a larger role in his final year."

Six newcomers will join the Patriots in 2007. Among those newcomers are Brandon Joyner, a freshman outside hitter from Thomas Dale High School in Chester, Va.; Erik Lanham, a redshirt freshman middle blocker from Center Moriches, N.Y. who joins the team as a transfer from Suffolk Community College; Colton Naill, a freshman middle blocker from Central York High School in York, Pa.; Luke Maloney, a freshman libero from Deep Run High School in Richmond, Va.; Brandon McLaughlin, a redshirt sophomore middle blocker from Huntington Beach, Calif. who joins the team as a transfer from Golden West Junior College; and Luke Parks, a redshirt junior middle blocker from Virginia Beach, Va. who comes to the Patriots as a transfer from Tidewater Community College.

George Mason will hit the court for the first time in 2007 when it takes on the Ball State Cardinals at 7 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 19 at John Linn Memorial Gym. The team's first EIVA Conference match will be against St. Francis (Pa.) on Friday, Jan. 26 at Linn Gym, as the Patriots will attempt to exact revenge on the team that ended its season in the semifinals of the EIVA Championship Tournament last year. The Patriots will play each of their six EIVA Tait Division rivals twice during the season, once at home and once on the road. Postseason play begins with the quarterfinal round of the EIVA Championship Tournament on April 21, with the winner of the EIVA Championship advancing to the NCAA Semifinals, scheduled for May 3 at Ohio State.