The George Mason men's volleyball team opens its 2015 season with a four-match road trip to California. The Patriots start with two straight matches against Pepperdine, who were ranked first in a preseason poll by AVCA, on Friday, January 9 and Sunday, January 11. The Patriots then head to CS Northridge on January 13 followed by UC Irvine on January 14.
Notes: Head Coach Fred Chao returns for his 17th season at the helm of the men's volleyball program. Chao earned EIVA Coach of the Year honors last season for guiding a young Patriot team to the EIVA semifinals. EIVA Newcomer of the Year and All-EIVA first-team honoree, Radoslav Popov, returns for the Patriots after a stellar freshman season. Also returning for the Green and Gold is Hunter Stevens, an All-EIVA second-team honoree last season.
Mason also welcomes five talented newcomers to the team this season after six seniors graduated last year. The Patriots finished the 2014 campaign with an overall record of 14-14, 8-6 in the EIVA. Mason holds a 0-6 record against Pepperdine all time.
Here's a brief look at the opponents that the Patriots will face out West, provided by Teodor Handarov:
MEN'S VOLLEYBALL at Pepperdine (2-0)
When: Friday, January 9, 10:00 p.m. ET and Sunday, January 11, 8:00 p.m ET
Where: Malibu, California
Live stats: Click here Live video: Click here
Pepperdine ended last season with a disappointing 3-0 loss in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation championship game against Stanford University, which went on to finish as national runner-ups. The Waves are very tough to beat at home, finishing the last campaign 12-2 at home in Malibu, Ca. In addition, Pepperdine will go into Friday's match against the Patriots with two games behind them already this season, as they registered two 3-0 wins against a newly formed North Greenville University team. The Waves lost one of their most influential players last season, Kyle Gerrans, but the other three of their top four scorers return, each registering at least 175 kills last year. Starting libero Brennan Anderson returns as a senior and will again play a crucial role as Pepperdine will aim to be at the top of the MPSF and make a run into the NCAA tournament.
MEN'S VOLLEYBALL at CS Northridge (0-0)
When: Tuesday, January 13, 10:00 p.m. ET
Where: Northridge, California
Live stats: Click here
CSUN was the only one of Mason's California opponents that missed out on postseason play last year, which made it two seasons in a row for the Matadors. In their exhibition match on Tuesday night against Laval University, CSUN pulled a less-than-convincing 3-2 win while giving a chance to some of the younger players on an already young team. Before beginning MPSF play in mid-January, the Matadors will travel to Santa Barbara, Ca. where they will face IPFW, who Mason will play later in the season, and two of Mason's EIVA opponents, Princeton University and St. Francis University (Pa.). Then they return home for a match against the Patriots themselves. The Matadors return their top four scorers from last season, all of whom scored triple digits in kills, led by now-junior outside hitter Sam Holt with 319. The catalyst for this number is setter Travis Magorien. He also returns as one of the three seniors on the team and with plenty of experience under his belt, determined to end his collegiate career on a high note and take the Matadors back to the playoffs.
MEN'S VOLLEYBALL at UC Irvine (0-1)
When: Wednesday, January 14, 10:00 p.m. ET
Where: Irvine, California
Live stats: Click here
Just like Pepperdine, last season UCI fell victim to Stanford's dominance in the MPSF by losing to the Cardinal in the quarterfinal of the conference championship. Credit to the Anteaters, however, as they took the Cardinal to a fifth set which they lost by just two points. UCI started their season with a 3-0 home loss to No. 9 Lewis University. Before facing the Patriots on Jan. 14, the Anteaters will participate in the Outrigger Tournament in Honolulu, Hawaii, where they will face three tough opponents – Mason's archrival Penn State University, Ohio State University, and the University of Hawaii – in the span of three days. The Anteaters lost four key players from last years starting lineup who carried most of the team's attacking force, but the team's second leading scorer Zack La Cavera returns after registering 284 kills in 2014. Senior libero Michael Brinkley will once again be a stalwart in the lineup and try to build on his 254 digs from last season.
