MEN'S VOLLEYBALL (13-11, 7-4 EIVA) VS Princeton (3-16, 3-8 EIVA)

WHEN: 7 p.m., Saturday, April 9, 2016

WHERE: RAC Gym, Fairfax, Va.

SERIES RECORD: Mason leads 42-23

LIVE STATS:  GoMason.com

LIVE VIDEO: Patriot Vision ($)

Fairfax, Va. – Flying high after a big conference sweep against NJIT on Thursday, George Mason University's men's volleyball will play its second of four consecutive home matches on Saturday, when it welcomes Princeton to the RAC.

Mason had difficulties only in the first set against the Highlanders and once they wrapped that up, the Patriots never looked back. Jay Hosack's team outhit, outdug, and outblocked its opponent in one of its most balanced performances this season to grab its fourth-straight victory.

SCOUTING THE OPPONENT

Princeton is going through a rebuilding year after losing a leading scorer and starting middle blocker and libero due to graduation, but the Tigers have shown their teeth in EIVA play. The team coached by Sam Schweisky, who is in Hosack's junior national team's staff, started conference play with two dominant wins on the road to Charleston (W.V.), but have not tasted victory since Feb. 27 and comes to Fairfax on an eight-match losing streak. Princeton battled at home last weekend and took a set from then-No. 11 Penn State on Friday. There was even more drama in the Dillon Gym the following night, when the Tigers came back from two sets down to make then-No. 15 Saint Francis sweat, but could not make the comeback complete in the fifth set.

Senior David Stearns is the key attacker on Princeton's team, averaging a team-high 3.39 kills per set and leading the Tigers with a total of 210 kills. Stearns also plays a major role on the defensive end, recording 80 digs on the season, second only to classmate Michael Bagnell, a typical outside hitter converted into a libero, who has 125. In the absence of Junior Oboh and Will Siroky, the team's leading blockers last season, in which Princeton reached the EIVA semi-finals, sophomore Billy Andrew has turned into the Tigers' main defender at the net, averaging .82 blocks per set.