Sept. 4, 2008

The George Mason women's volleyball team hosts its annual tournament this weekend when the Patriot Invitational gets underway on Friday. Five schools will join Mason during the two-day tournament at the Field House, beginning with the Liberty-St. Francis (Pa.) match set to begin at 11 a.m.

Mason will play two matches on the opening day of action, facing the St. Francis Red Flash at 3 p.m. followed by a match against in-state foe Liberty at 7 p.m. On Saturday, the Patriots face New Mexico at 6 p.m. in the final match of the tournament.

Admission for each day of the tournament is $5 for adults and $2 for youth and senior citizens. Mason students can receive free admission by presenting their Mason student ID cards.

A full tournament schedule can be found below.

The Patriots will be seeking their first win of the season after a challenging weekend against local rivals in the D.C. Volleyball Challenge. Mason fell 3-0 to Georgetown at home last Friday, then dropped a pair of 3-1 decisions to George Washington and American on Saturday at GW's Smith Center. Junior Rebecca Walter was named to the All-Tournament team following a pair of double-double performances on the weekend.

La Salle enters the weekend with a 1-2 record. Christa Dominick leads the Explorer offense with 29 kills and seven blocks. Rachel Stemper's 30 digs is the highest on the squad as well.

Liberty is one of two unbeaten teams coming to Fairfax this weekend, as the Flames are 3-0. The reigning Big South champions are led by Nicki Scripko, whose 32 kills and 29 digs powers the offense.

New Mexico sports a 3-0 record as well after sweeping all three of its MCM Elegante Lobo Classic last weekend in Albuquerque. The Lobos are led by Jeanne Fairchild who has tallied 40 kills.

Rutgers will try for its first win after dropping its first three matches last weekend at the Hilton Garden Inn/Northern Arizona Invitational. Emma Chrystal has 25 kills to lead the Scarlet Knight offense.

St. Francis arrives at the tournament with a 1-4 record. The Red Flash is led by Shirley Miller and Kristin Buter, who have each contributed 47 kills.

TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE

Friday, Sep. 5
Liberty vs. St. Francis (Pa.) - 11 a.m.
Rutgers vs. New Mexico - 1 p.m.
St. Francis (Pa.) vs. MASON - 3 p.m.
New Mexico vs. La Salle - 5 p.m.
Liberty vs. MASON - 7 p.m.

Saturday, Sep. 6
Rutgers vs. La Salle - 10 a.m.
St. Francis (Pa.) vs. New Mexico - 12 p.m.
Liberty vs. Rutgers - 2 p.m.
St. Francis (Pa.) vs. La Salle - 4 p.m.
New Mexico vs. MASON - 6 p.m.