Jan. 25, 2007

FAIRFAX, Va. - The fifteenth-ranked George Mason men's volleyball team will host two matches this weekend at John Linn Memorial Gym, including the Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association (EIVA) Tait Division opener against the St. Francis (Pa.) Red Flash, the team that ousted the Patriots from the semifinals of the 2006 EIVA Championship Tournament.

Mason will play St. Francis (Pa.) (3-2) on Friday at 7 p.m. before closing out the weekend with a match on Saturday at 2 p.m. against the Lees-McRae Bobcats (1-0). The Patriots enter Friday's match with a 1-0 record after defeating the Ball State Cardinals in four games in the season opener at John Linn Memorial Gym on Friday, Jan. 19. After redshirting last season, opposite hitter Will Price had a tremendous debut for the Patriots in the season-opening victory, leading the team with 27 kills and three aces against Ball State. Price was named the EIVA Tait Division Player of the Week for his efforts.

Mason will attempt to get a measure of revenge in Friday's match with the Red Flash, the team that ended the Patriots' 2006 season in four games in the EIVA Championship Semifinals at Penn State. That loss in the conference tournament marked only the second time St. Francis (Pa.) defeated George Mason in the 24 matches the two teams have played against each other. The Patriots entered that match fresh off one of their finest regular seasons in recent history in 2006. Mason posted a 22-5 overall record, the most wins since the 1995 season, and went 11-1 in conference play, including a perfect 12-0 record in home matches. However, this year's team has a slightly different cast of characters, with stars like Shaun Powell, Bryan Newcomb and Matt Steinfurth having graduated since that match.

Despite the roster changes, this year's team has still experienced success in the early season. For the second consecutive week, Mason holds down the No. 15 spot in the CSTV/AVCA Division I-II Men's Top 15 Coaches Poll. St. Francis (Pa.) has appeared in the others receiving votes category the past two weeks. The Patriots were picked to finish second in the EIVA Tait Division, behind perennial powerhouse Penn State, in a preseason poll of conference coaches. St. Francis (Pa.) was picked to finish fifth in the division.

After taking on the Red Flash on Friday, the Patriots will take the court again the next day against the Lees-McRae Bobcats, a team they easily defeated in three games in the season opener last season at John Linn Memorial Gym. Last year's match is the only time the two teams have ever faced each other.

Tickets to both matches will cost $5 for adults and $2 for youth and senior citizens.