Jan. 22, 2010

FAIRFAX, Va. - After advancing to the semifinals of the EIVA Championship Tournament for the ninth consecutive season in 2009, the George Mason men's volleyball team has its sights set on advancing back to the championship match, and hopefully moving on to the NCAA Championships in 2010. The Patriots last played for the EIVA Championship two years ago, bowing out to perennial East Coast volleyball powerhouse Penn State, who are once again picked as the favorites to win the EIVA title.

If Mason hopes to advance to the finals of the conference tournament and beyond, the Patriots will have to rely on a balanced team effort in 2010. Standout seniors Kyle Gramit, a three-time EIVA All-East selection and last year's top attacking player, and Brandon McLaughlin, who finished second in the nation in blocks per set, have graduated and their production will need to be replaced. Mason hopes to fill that void with a deep and balanced 20-man roster that features a blend of veterans and newcomers.

"We're going to be extremely balanced - offense, defense, positionally balanced and set distribution balanced," said George Mason men's volleyball head coach Fred Chao, who enters his 12th season at the helm of the program. "There's not one person that we're going to solely depend on. This year, we have that ability because we have a lot of depth at all the positions. As a group, we're a lot more balanced than we've been, from top to bottom, seniors to freshmen."

With 12 returning players, Mason boasts a core of experienced players that have been through the rigors of an NCAA men's volleyball schedule and have faced some of the best teams in the nation, including Penn State. The Patriots will lean on these players to provide production on the court this season.

The team will have some big shoes to fill in Gramit's vacated position of opposite hitter. Gramit, a Second-Team AVCA All-America selection during the 2008 season, is one of 11 players to earn All-America honors in the history of the program. Stepping into that position will be senior Ben Nichols, who finished second on the team in kills per set and points per set last season.

"From an attacking standpoint, Ben has the power and the range to play on the right side," Chao said. "We've been working on improving his hitting efficiency and reducing his errors."

Backing up Nichols at that position will be senior Ryan Kwiatkowski, who will be making the move from the setter position that he has played for the past three seasons to opposite hitter. He spent some time at the position during the 2009 season.

After spending last season at libero and recording 309 digs, the highest single-season total in school history during the rally-scoring era, Ellicott City, Md. native Eric Lucas will make the switch to outside hitter during the 2010 season.

"Eric has worked a lot on his jump over the past year to prepare himself to switch positions," Chao said. "He makes the most of every set that he gets so we're going to count on him to produce as an outside hitter this year."

Also returning at the outside hitter position is senior Luke Maloney, who averaged 2.01 kills per set, 2.72 points per set and 1.53 digs per set last season. Maloney, who ranked 21st in the nation in aces per set, is one of the Patriots' top all-around performers on the court.

"Luke has to be on the court in some capacity," Chao said. "He's a very skilled volleyball player and mentally very sharp with the competitive aspects of the game. He's an excellent passer so he's definitely one that we're going to count on to elevate our ball control."

Sophomore Andrew Dentler, sophomore Joe Norton and junior Dave Reilly all return to the team for the 2010 season. Reilly had to sit out last season after transferring from fellow EIVA member school, Saint Francis University. Dentler and Norton both saw action last season and will be counted on to contribute once again.

Setting up the attack will be junior Brandon Joyner, who enters the season as the incumbent starter for the first time in his career. Joyner played in 22 matches last season and Chao thinks that he has made significant strides to prepare him for the starting role.

Last year, George Mason's stout defense that finished first in the nation in blocks per set played a major role in its success. For the team to be successful this season, the Patriots will once again have to have a strong presence at the net.

"We're going to need to put teams in some bad situations and force them to either get blocked or give ourselves enough chances to put some balls away," Chao said. "It will be very important that we maintain our blocking, pick up our defensive touches and maximize the number of chances that we're going to get to swing at the ball."

Returning to man the middle this season will be Shaun Sibley, a six-foot-nine inch native of Natick, Mass. who has made major strides since his freshman season. Sibley saw time in 12 matches last season, averaging 1.31 blocks per set.

"Shaun is faster, jumps higher and is more comfortable on the court," Chao said. "His lateral movement has become much better. He's been very diligent and conscientious about improving and it's definitely paying off for him."

Despite bringing in one of the top recruiting classes in the country this season with three players - Mark Jones, Robert Stoeckinger and Piotr Dabrowski - named to Volleyball Magazine's Fab 50 List, Chao expects the freshmen to spend this year learning and adapting to the college game, rather than seeing significant minutes on the court.

"I think the guys we brought in definitely make us a better program in the upcoming years," Chao said. "There is more size in this class, more talent and more experience as volleyball players with this group. While these guys have potential and talent, they're still in a pretty early phase of learning and development. It will benefit them to spend this season gaining experience playing against our starters and developing team chemistry."

Joining the trio of Fab 50 selections as first-year players on the team are Michael Kvidahl, Patrick Maloney, Max McFarland, Javier Perez and Charlie Swingle. Of the eight newcomers, the most likely to see minutes on the court are Dabrowski and Perez.

Dabrowski is a 6-foot-6-inch middle blocker from Glenbard East High School in Lombard, Ill. He set the school record in blocks during his junior year with a total of 108.

"Piotr is a well-trained middle blocker," Chao said. "His strong suit is his defense, particularly his blocking. He can also help in untidy transition situations, in terms of ball handling, ball control and knowing where the ball needs to get to if he has to play it."

Perez comes to Mason from Guaynabo, Puerto Rico, where he graduated from Colegio Marista. A 6-foot-3-inch setter, Perez was named the MVP of the Puerto Rico High School Athletic Alliance (PRHSAA) and has played for the Puerto Rico Boys' Youth National Team since 2007.

"Javier is a very, very good setter," Chao said. "It doesn't matter who I put on his team, he finds a way to get the best out of the guys that he plays with. He has a fantastic court presence. His international experience gives him the confidence to be able to play right away if he needs to."

George Mason's 2010 season begins on Saturday, Jan. 23 when the Patriots play their first-ever match at the team's new venue, the Recreation and Athletic Complex.

"I'm very excited to play in the new gym," Chao said. "I think this is the best gym we're going to play in anywhere we go. It will now become a special place for our volleyball program moving forward, at least as much as the Linn Gym was for us previously."

The Patriots' EIVA schedule begins on Feb. 5 with a match against Springfield College at the RAC. Mason will play in one tournament during the regular season, the Volleyball Hall of Fame Morgan Classic Tournament in Springfield, Mass. After closing the regular season with an April 17 match against EIVA rival Penn State, the Patriots will hope to advance deep into the EIVA Championship Tournament, which begins on April 24 with the quarterfinal matches. The championship match is scheduled for May 1, with the winner of the conference title advancing to the NCAA Championships slated for May 6-8 in Stanford, Calif.