April 10, 2008

FAIRFAX, Va. - George Mason's 12th-ranked men's volleyball team, currently 17-7 overall and 7-3 in EIVA Tait Division matches, closes out its regular season schedule this weekend with a pair of EIVA Tait Division matches that will determine the Patriots' seeding in the upcoming EIVA Championship Tournament. Mason will take on Princeton (11-8, 6-5 EIVA Tait) on Friday and the New Jersey Institute of Technology (11-12, 4-7 EIVA Tait) on Saturday at the Fieldhouse. Both matches are slated for a 7 p.m. start time.

Mason is currently in second place in the EIVA Tait Division standings and will enter the conference tournament as the second seed with a win in one of the weekend's two matches. The Patriots can wrap up the second seed with a victory on Friday night against Princeton. However, if Mason falters against the Tigers, who defeated the Patriots' 3-1 in the team's previous meeting on March 1, it can still clinch the second seed with a win on Saturday against NJIT. If Mason were to lose both matches this weekend, then Princeton would earn the second seed and the Patriots would be the third seed by virtue of the Tigers' holding the head-to-head tiebreaker over Mason. The team that clinches the second seed will receive a bye to the semifinal round of the EIVA Championship Tournament and will need just two victories to earn the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Division I Men's Volleyball Championships.

Saturday's season finale will be Senior Night at the Fieldhouse, sponsored by Sportrock Climbing Centers. Prior to the start of the match, a ceremony will be held for the Patriots' three seniors - outside hitter Hudson Bates, outside hitter Mark Burik and middle blocker R.J. Goubeaux. In addition to the Senior Night festivities, fans will also get the opportunity to win great prizes from Sportrock Climbing Centers during Saturday's match.

Friday's match will be sponsored by Cavalier Logistics, in addition to being the Broadside Game of the Week. All George Mason students in attendance will receive a free Mason License Plate holder while supplies last. Fans in attendance on Friday evening will get the opportunity to win a Mason prize pack and a pair of Coca-Cola director's chairs by correctly guessing the number of kills the Patriots' compile during the first three games of the match. On both Friday and Saturday, Powerade t-shirts will be tossed into the crowd after each Patriots' service ace.

Tickets to the matches will cost $5 for adults and $2 for youth and senior citizens. All full-time enrolled students at George Mason University will be admitted free with a valid Mason student ID. Saturday will be Mason Spirit Day. All fans that wear green or gold to the match can buy tickets for just $1.