The George Mason men's volleyball team travels to Pennsylvania this weekend to face the top two teams in the EIVA. On Friday evening, the Patriots will face St. Francis before traveling to face No. 5 Penn State on Saturday.

Mason's hitting has struggled this season, as the team is last in the conference with a .189 hitting percentage. However, junior outside hitter Mark Jones continues to rank tops in kills, standing third in the conference and 11^th nationally with an average of 3.82 kills/set.

Also continuing to shine for the Patriots is junior middle blocker Piotr Dabrowski, who is second in the conference and fifth nationally, averaging 1.56 blocks/set. As a team, Mason's average of 2.79 blocks/set is second in the conference and seventh nationally.

MASON (4-8, 1-1 EIVA) vs. ST. FRANCIS (6-7, 3-1 EIVA)
When: Friday, 7 p.m.
Where: Maurice Stokes Athletic Center, Loretto, Pa.
Live Stats: Click Here
Video: Click Here

Notes: The Red Flash currently reside in second place in the EIVA standings with a 3-1 conference record while going 6-7 overall. SFU's conference wins have come against NJIT, Rutgers-Newark and Sacred Heart, with its lone loss at Harvard.

St. Francis has a strong defensive presence, as it currently ranks tops in the conference and fifth nationally with 3.01 blocks/set. Junior middle blocker Adam Roche stands third nationally and first in the conference in blocks (1.54 blocks/set), while sophomore middle blocker Mark Kochan is eighth nationally and third in the conference in the same category (1.29 blocks/set).

MASON vs. No. 5 PENN STATE
When: Saturday, 5 p.m.
Where: Rec Hall, University Park, Pa.
Live Sats: Click Here

Notes: Penn State will host Princeton on Friday evening before facing Mason on Saturday. The Nittany Lions currently sit atop the EIVA rakings with a perfect 4-0 mark, having defeated Rutgers-Newark, NJIT, Sacred Heart and Harvard. PSU currently owns an eight-match winning streak, with its last loss coming in a 3-1 decision at Lewis on January 21.

An offensive power, Penn State ranks first in the conference in hitting percentage (.374, 1^st nationally) and assists (12.50 assists/set, 4^th nationally), while ranking second in kills (13.36 kills/set, 4^th nationally).

PSU has three of the top ten hitters in the nation, as sophomore outside hitter ranks fourth with a .401 hitting percentage (1^st EIVA). He is followed by freshman Nick Goodell in sixth (.396, 2^nd conference) and senior Joe Sunder in 10^th (.359, 6^th conference). Additionally, senior Edgardo Goas is second in the nation while leading the conference with an average of 11.82 assists/set.