This season, “In the Huddle” is going to make you a part of George Mason University's men's volleyball team. Here you can find game reports, pre- and post-match interviews, and features about different members of one of the most successful athletic programs at Mason, a taste of the ever-long rivalry with Penn State University, and much more. The Patriots are ready for another thrilling season. Are you, Patriots?
To say little, but tell a lot
For those who have not heard, in its last outing Mason's men's volleyball team got its first win of the season, sweeping the University of Charleston – West Virginia on the road on Feb. 24. The night before, the team was edged 3-1 by Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio.
The best way I could describe that two-match road trip would be as “a weekend of contrasts”. That goes not only for the results, however. On Friday night, the Buckeyes welcomed the Patriots in the St. John Arena, a volleyball-specific facility that used to be the home of OSU's basketball teams and thus could compete in capacity with our own Patriot Center. Surrounded from all sides by banners representing volleyball success and recognition dating back to the 1960's – including an extra-large one reminding players, fans, and opponents of OSU's 2011 national title – made it quite an intimidating ground to play at. In addition, either because they are on the high pedestal from their football team's recent success or simply because it is in their nature, the Buckeye fans did impressively well to put the young Mason team further out of their comfort zone and make their visit to the Buckeye State – a first for many of them – memorable.
The following day, the team visited the Eddie King Gym on UC's campus for a match against the Golden Eagles. The multi-purpose facility is the home of the school's two basketball teams as well and – let's just say – it wasn't the St. John arena. The newly formed program did not have the element of tradition on their side, nor could it provide the same atmosphere on the stands as the big boys up North – the fans were primarily parents and siblings of the players who, with their homemade “Go Golden Eagles, go!” posters decorated in the appropriate maroon and gold-yellow, concentrated more on encouraging their boys in a civil and respectful manner rather than getting in the heads of the visiting team. Overall, it was almost easy to assume that the contest will be a walk in the park for the Patriots. However, it did not take long after the first serve before this theory was shattered into pieces – throughout the match the Golden Eagles left a great impression of a high team spirit, energy, and desire to play by celebrating every single one of their points as if it was a set- or match-winner and by jogging on and off the court as if they are playing in the NCAA championship match. This was not unnoticed by the Patriots and during a post-practice conversation between coach Chao and his players last week, the Golden Eagles' attitude was brought up as an example to follow.
Speaking of the Patriots, there is no question that the most meaningful contrast of the whole weekend was the Patriots' performance in both matches. Someone who has not watched the contests may assume that after being beaten by the Buckeyes on Friday, Mason simply brought a different mentality into the match against UC and that made the difference. That was not exactly the case, however. On Friday, the Buckeyes took the first two sets with a seven- and nine-point margin, respectively, and went into the 10-minute intermission with a two-set and psychological advantage. During those 10 minutes the Patriots were as quiet as they have ever been. Coach Chao gave them the time to draw conclusions on their own and later interrupted with a clear eight-word message – which will remain confidential – that made an instant impact on his players. Heads started shaking up and down in agreement as he spoke, his words were repeated several times by the players for self-motivation, and they all sprang to their feet and huddled together in the middle for “Mason!”. Just minutes later, Mason was playing some of its best volleyball so far this season and the Buckeyes had no response for it. Velez spiced up the Patriots' offense and registered six kills in the third set alone – one short of his total for the first two sets combined – and toward its end single-handedly – pun not intended – silenced the 500-person crowd with a block to break OSU's hopes for anything in the third set. Even though the Patriots ultimately fell in a close fourth set, they walked off the courts with heads held high and even with a feeling that they deserved to get more from the match. Less than 16 hours later, they knew what they had to do and did it in a most convincing matter. So I guess it's true – it's not what you say, it's how you say it.
