April 25, 2007

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The George Mason men's volleyball team (12-9, 7-5 EIVA Tait Division) will get an opportunity to avenge a heartbreaking loss in the semifinal round of last year's EIVA Championship Tournament to St. Francis (Pa.) (15-11, 7-5 EIVA Tait Division) when they face the Red Flash on Thursday at 4:30 p.m. at Rec Hall on the campus of top-seeded Penn State. In last year's tournament, Mason lost to St. Francis (Pa.) in four games on the same court.

Much has changed since last year's match. The Patriots entered last year's match as the second seed, having received a bye to the semifinal round of the tournament, while St. Francis (Pa.) was the third seed in last year's EIVA Championships. This year the roles are reversed, with Mason earning the third seed in the tournament, facing the second-seeded Red Flash, which received a bye to the semifinals.

In addition to the seeding, Mason's roster has also changed since last year's meeting. Gone from last year's team are three key seniors - setter Bryan Newcomb, opposite hitter Shaun Powell and middle blocker Matt Steinfurth. However, the team has experienced a full season without the trio and is currently playing its best volleyball of the season, having won three consecutive matches and six out of the last eight, including a 3-0 defeat of East Stroudsburg in the EIVA quarterfinals this past Saturday.

This year's team is led by redshirt freshman opposite hitter William Price, Mason third consecutive EIVA Newcomer of the Year award winner and a First-Team EIVA All-East performer. Price ranks third in the nation in kills per game (5.51), points per game (6.68) and aces per game (0.66).

Also ranking among the nation's best for Mason are the blocking duo of redshirt freshman Erik Lanham and senior Kyle Swanson. Lanham is 10th in the country in blocks per game (1.27) while Swanson is tied for 14th (1.23). Senior libero Graham Sheppard, who was named First-Team EIVA All-East for the second consecutive season, is tied for 16th in the nation in digs per game with an average of 2.25. Sophomore outside hitter Kyle Gramit and redshirt junior outside hitter Mark Burik also earned EIVA All-East honors, with Gramit making the First Team and Burik making the Second Team.

One player looms large for St. Francis (Pa.), and that is senior middle blocker Marc Honore, who won the Uvaldo Acosta Memorial Player of the Year award given to the top player in the EIVA. The First-Team EIVA All-East performer ranks fifth in the nation in hitting percentage (.521), eighth in kills per game (4.63), fifth in points per game (5.99) and first in blocks per game (2.11). Honore was a major factor in last year's tournament upset of George Mason, recording a match-high and career-high 29 kills and five service aces.

Honore isn't the only standout for the Red Flash, though, as Shane Conley, Jordan Varee and Zach Nanni made the 2007 EIVA All-East Team as well. Conley, a sophomore setter, was named to the First Team, while Varee, a freshman opposite hitter, and Nanni, a senior libero, were named to the Second Team. Conley and Nanni rank among the nation's leaders in assists per game and digs per game, respectively. Conley is tied for ninth with an average of 12.52 assists per game, while Nanni ranks fifth in the country with an average of 2.73 digs per game.

George Mason holds a 22-4 record in the all-time series against St. Francis (Pa.). However, three of those four losses have come in the last three meetings between the two teams. The Patriots lost both matches against the Red Flash this season.

In the other EIVA Championship Tournament semifinal match, No. 1 Penn State will play No. 4 Princeton at 7:30 p.m.