ERIE, Pa. - The George Mason men's volleyball team was tabbed to finish second in the Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association according to a vote of the league's coaches.

The Patriots received one first-place vote and 11 points, trailing only defending champion Penn State, which collected the other seven first-place votes and seven points en route to topping the poll. Following George Mason in the preseason rankings were Sacred Heart (21), Saint Francis (22), Princeton (24), Harvard (30), NJIT (40) and Rutgers-Newark (41).

Twelve letterwinners return from last year's squad that went 17-11 overall and 8-2 in conference play. Mason earned the No. 2 seed in the EIVA Tournament but was eliminated by the No. 3 seed Springfield College in the semifinals. Leading the returnees is junior outside hitter Mark Jones, who earned First Team All-EIVA accolades a season ago after finishing second in the conference with 424 kills (5^th in the nation) and seventh with 32 service aces (22^nd in the nation).

Mason opens its 2012 season on January 13 with a home match against IPFW at 7:00 pm. The team will then host Ball State on January 14 at 7:00 pm before hitting the road for eight-consecutive road matches.

2011 EIVA PRESEASON COACHES POLL
1. Penn State (seven first-place votes)     7 pts.
2. George Mason (one first-place vote)   11 pts.
3. Sacred Heart                                    21 pts.
4. Saint Francis                                    22 pts.
5. Princeton                                         24 pts.
6. Harvard                                           30 pts.
7. NJIT                                                40 pts.
8. Rutgers-Newark                                41 pts.