WHEN: Friday and Saturday
 
WHERE: Fordham N.Y. and Kingston, R.I.
 
OPPONENTS:
 
    -FORDHAM - Friday, 7:00 p.m.
            LIVE STATS | TV STREAM
    -RHODE ISLAND – Saturday, 4:00 p.m.
            Live Stats and TV Stream link for the URI match will be made available at game time.
 
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FAIRFAX, Va. - Fresh off its five-set victory against La Salle last Sunday, George Mason women's volleyball heads to the northeast region of the United States for two matches against the Rams - one against the Fordham Rams and the other against the Rhode Island Rams. The contest against Fordham is scheduled for 7 p.m. Friday night followed by the match against Rhode Island the next day at 4 p.m.
 
The Patriots enter the match against Fordham holding a 4-3 record all-time against the Bronx version of the Rams. The last time the two teams saw each other was Mason's epic five-set road victory on November 4 of last year where down 12-7 in the final frame, the Patriots rattled off eight straight points to leave town with a win. George Mason will be searching for its first ever win against Rhode Island on Saturday, as the Patriots are currently 0-8 against them.
 
NEWS AND NOTES

• The Patriots continue to be led by the attacking duo of sophomore outside hitters Bailey Williams and Mikala Wells. In the last 15 days, Williams has been averaging 3.64 kills per set and is fresh of single-match career high 23 kills against La Salle. Her recent hot streak has propelled her to sixth in the Atlantic 10 in kills per set. Wells is coming off a season high 18 kills against La Salle and has logged double-digit kills in her last five matches, the longest stretch of her career.
• Freshman setter Emily Konchan has found her stride as the team's setter. The Charlotte, N.C. native is averaging 9.57 assists per set in the last three matches, all of which she's posted 40+ assists.
• Senior outside hitter Jordan Glass has registered 16 total blocks (1 solo - 15 assist) in the last four matches, good for 0.94 blocks per set in that span. The Patriots blocking leaders a little over halfway through the season feature junior middle blocker Pihla Jarvenpaa at 0.88 blocks per set, followed by Glass at 0.73 blocks per set.
• Multiple Patriots have enjoyed different forms of success against this weekend's opponents in the past. Glass tied her single-match high in digs (14) in the road match against Fordham last year, and Williams registered two solo blocks in the home match - a mark that's tied for her single-match career high. Senior middle blocker Sydney Fanoga recorded her career-best 15 kills against Rhode Island back on Oct. 24, 2015.    
• Since the 25-point rally scoring era began in 2008, Fanoga ranks seventh in Mason career service aces with 43, and needs three to pass Caitlyn Hipsher for sixth. Followed closely behind Fanoga is Williams who is currently in a three-way tie for eighth with 39.

 
THE OPPONENTS
 
Fordham Rams | 8-7 (0-2 Atlantic 10)
The star of the Fordham Rams is Olivia Fairchild. She ranks second in the A-10 in kills (3.67) and has been named A-10 Player of the Week twice this season. As a team, Fordham's strong suit is at the service line. The team ranks first in the conference in service aces per set (2.12) and boast Mckenna Lahr (0.59 aces per set) and Fairchild (0.52 aces per set) who both crack the conference top three in that category at two and three respectively. Nationally Fordham is ranked second in service aces per set. Fordham will be looking for its first conference win of 2017 against the Patriots.
 
Rhode Island Rams | 6-8 (1-1 Atlantic 10)
Rhody's stellar defensive play this year is commanding their opponents attention, seeing as they rank second in team blocks per set in the A-10 (2.44). That defensive prowess is led by senior middle blocker Marie Gillcrist, who snagged a A-10 Defensive player of the Week honor earlier this season. She ranks third among A-10 players in blocks per set (1.39) and total blocks (75). Her total blocks total is good for 16th in the country. Rhode Island won its most recent match against Davidson 3-2 and will play George Washington on Friday night before they see the Patriots Saturday afternoon.