GEORGE MASON UNIVERSITY VS. #7 Loyola-Chicago

WHEN: Friday, Jan. 12, 2018 at 8 p.m.
WHERE: Gentile Arena (4,486)
RECORDS: Mason (1-2), Loyola-Chicago (1-1)
SERIES RECORD: Loyola-Chicago leads 4-15
LAST MEETING: Loyola-Chicago def. Mason 3-2 [25-23, 25-20, 24-26, 25-26, 13-15] on Jan. 21, 2017 (Fairfax, Va.)

GEORGE MASON UNIVERSITY VS. #11 Lewis University
WHEN: Saturday, Jan. 13, 2018 at 8 p.m.
WHERE: Neil Carey Arena (1,100)
RECORDS: TBD
SERIES RECORD: Lewis leads 5-21 
LAST MEETING: Lewis def. Mason 3-0 [25-13, 29-27, 25-17] on Mar. 14, 2014 (Romeoville, Ill.)

LIVE VIDEO: Loyola-Chicago Match | Lewis Match
LIVE STATS: Loyola-Chicago Match | Lewis Match

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FAIRFAX, Va. - This weekend marks the first two of 13 road matches in the regular season for the George Mason men's volleyball team. On Friday night the Patriots will face the #7 Loyola-Chicago Ramblers at 8 p.m., followed by the #11 Lewis Flyers at the same time Saturday night.

The Patriots (1-2, 0-0 EIVA) are coming off their opening weekend where they beat Limestone College 3-0 on Jan. 5, but lost their next two matches to #15 GCU. After the first week of action, two Patriots lead the EIVA in three major statistical categories: Jack Reese in blocks per set (1.73) and hit percentage (.432) and Johnny Gomez in digs per set (2.80). Reese's block per set average also classifies him as the national leader in that department.

PATRIOT POINTS

• RS-Freshman Jack Reese has posted team highs in total blocks in all three Patriots matches. His eight kills Jan. 7 vs. #15 GCU also led the team.

• In addition to Reese's NCAA leading 1.73 blocks per set, Johnny Gomez's 2.80 digs per set average is 6th nationally on the young season.

• Gomez's 14 digs vs. Limestone College tied his personal best in a three-set match. His 28 digs is the highest total he's posted through the season's opening three matches in his career.

• RS-Senior Christian Malias leads the team in total kills (23) and is third in kills per set (2.53). His 16 kill performance was tied for the second highest single-match total of his career, a mark he notched two previous times. His 3.28 points per set ranks third in the EIVA.

• Through three matches the Patriots have a higher kills per set and blocks per set average than their opponents. Kills per set checks in at 11.6 versus 10.5 while blocks per set reads 2.4 versus 2.0. Mason's blocks per set average is also good for 12th in the NCAA.

• George Mason and Saint Francis (Pa.) are the only two teams in the EIVA to have three players averaging at least 3.00 points per set. The Patriots who fit that category are Malias (3.28), Brian Negron (3.25) and Hayden Wagner (3.25).

• Through the first week of the regular season, the Patriots lead the EIVA in opponent hit percentage, team attacks per set, kills per set, blocks per set and assists per set.

• Settling into his new role as a pin hitter, senior Brian Negron recorded a then-career high in kills (7) in Mason's 3-0 win over Limestone College, followed by his first ever double-digit kill match with the Patriots the next day.

• Sophomore Sam Greenslade leads the team among outside hitters with a .258 hit percentage. Sunday marked his 4th career three-set match of at least seven kills.

HISTORY VS. Loyola-Chicago
The Patriots will face the Ramblers for the second year in a row and will play in Chicago for the first time since 2014. The most recent head-to-head matchup was last year's heartbreaker, where despite having more kills and blocks in the match, as well as two players recording double-digit kills, the Patriots fell in five sets.

HISTORY VS. LEWIS
Saturday marks the first time since 2014 that the Patriots and Flyers have squared off, making Christian Malias and opposite hitter Tom Beckmann the only players left from that season still playing for their respective programs. Mason is looking to pick up its first win against Lewis since 3/26/11 when they beat the 11th ranked Flyers 3-1.

A LOOK AT THE RAMBLERS (1-1, 0-0 MIVA)
Loyola-Chicago, picked to finish fourth in the MIVA, moved up six spots in the latest AVCA rankings thanks to their win over #3 BYU to open the season. Third-year coach Mark Hulse has freshman setter Garrett Zolg running the offense, a role that netted him MIVA Defensive Player of the Week with his two double-doubles. On the attack the Ramblers have Collin Mahan who is leading the team with 3.00 kills per set and posted double-digit kills in their two matches to begin the year. Another strength of the Ramblers is defending the attack, ranking fourth in the nation with a per set average of 9.89.

A LOOK AT THE FLYERS (0-2, 0-0 MIVA)
The Flyers, picked to finish second in the MIVA, have three top-ranked opponents out of the gate, dropping their first two matches to #7 UC Irvine and #3 BYU, and will face #2 Long Beach State prior to the Saturday matchup with the Patriots. Lewis is led by RS-Sophomore outside hitter Ryan Coenen, a player who was awarded the 2017 AVCA Newcomer of the Year award and named a preseason Off The Block/Springbak Inc. Second Team All-American. Coenen has lived up to the hype thus far by leading the team with 3.43 kills per set, good for 14th in the nation. Defensively the Flyers boast Tyler Mitchem and Kyle Bugee, the team leaders in blocks per set and kills per set respectively.