GEORGE MASON UNIVERSITY VS. No. 7 PENN STATE UNIVERSITY
WHEN: Friday, Feb. 23, 2018 at 7 p.m.
WHERE: Rec Hall (6,502)
RECORDS: Mason (6-7), Penn State (8-2)
SERIES RECORD: Penn State leads 15-105
LAST MEETING: Penn State def. Mason 3-1 [25-22, 21-25, 19-25, 26-28] on Apr. 15, 2017 (State College, Pa.)

GEORGE MASON UNIVERSITY VS. SAINT FRANCIS (Pa.)
WHEN: Saturday, Feb. 17, 2018 at 4 p.m.
WHERE: DeGol Arena (3,500)
RECORDS: TBD
SERIES RECORD: Mason leads 34-15
LAST MEETING: Saint Francis def. Mason 3-0 [22-25, 23-25, 24-26] on Apr. 14, 2017 (Loretto, Pa.)

LIVE VIDEO: Penn State Match | No live stream available at Saint Francis (Pa.)
LIVE STATS: Penn State Match | Saint Francis Match

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FAIRFAX, Va. - After beginning conference play with a perfect 2-0 record, George Mason hits the road to begin its 11-match road stretch this weekend, beginning with No. 7 Penn State on Feb. 23 and Saint Francis (Pa.) on Feb. 24.

Mason tallied eight votes from just outside the top-15 in the Feb. 19 AVCA poll, representing one of three teams to receive votes from outside the top-15 (USC and Concordia-Irvine being the other two). Just like last week, Penn State represents the only EIVA team currently in the top-15, this time checking in at No. 7 to bump them up two spots from last week.

The Green and Gold are tied for second in the EIVA standings with a 2-0 record after its performance on the scoreboard last weekend. The leader in that department is Friday's opponent, Penn State, holding a 3-0 record with Saint Francis (Pa.) close behind in fourth with a 2-1 record.

PATRIOT POINTS

• George Mason is coming off a perfect 2-0 weekend with straight set victories over NJIT and Princeton. Between the two matches, the Patriots hit .359 as a team and held the Highlanders and Tigers to .060, the first time since last year they held opponents to under .100 in back-to-back matches.

• Mason is off to its best EIVA start since 2013 with a 2-0 record. It's the first time since 2011 the Patriots won their first two conference matches in straight sets.

• The Green and Gold were led by Kyle Barnes on the attack. The junior outside hitter notched 22 kills in six sets (3.67 kills per set) and hit an even .500 with just three attack errors. Against Princeton (Feb. 17), Barnes posted a career high 14 kills with a .684 hit percentage. Complimenting his career high statistical performance was two service aces and a solo block to give him a career-best 17.0 points. His performance earned him EIVA Offensive Player of the Week.

• Barnes will enter the weekend 15 kills shy of 300 for his career. Other career milestones to watch include Langston Payne sitting at three total blocks away from 100 and Hayden Wagner being 9.5 points away from 200.

• In Saturday's match at Saint Francis (Pa.), Barnes and the Patriots will be going head-to-head with reigning EIVA Defensive Player of the Week Hayden Herc. This is the first time ever that Mason will be participating in a match where the reigning EIVA Player of the Week's teams will be squaring off against one another. 

• For the fourth consecutive week, sophomore Hayden Wagner leads the EIVA in kills per set (3.39) and points per set (4.15). In the two EIVA opening matches, Wagner had back-to-back nine-kill matches and hit a combined .333 (18-7-33) between the two Patriot victories. Wagner also recorded a solo block and a career high six digs vs. NJIT (Feb. 16).

• Making his first two starts of the season, sophomore middle blocker Bryce Gatling posted a 1.17 blocks per set average while hitting a respectable .466 with seven kills. Against Princeton (Feb. 17), the Norfolk, Va. native compiled three total blocks (one solo) and logged three service aces in the first set, setting a new career high in the process. His presence at the net helped the Patriots hold their weekend opponents to the stellar .060 hit percentage, including a -.040 mark in the third set of the Princeton match, the lowest total by an opponent in a set this season.

• Graduate student Johnny Gomez tallied a match high nine digs vs. Princeton (Feb. 17), eclipsing 800 for his career dating back to his Belmont Abbey days. The Indialantic, Fla. native collected seven digs in the third set alone vs. NJIT (Feb. 16), tying his own mark by the most by a Patriot in a set this season. Gomez will enter Friday's match at No. 7 Penn State four digs shy of 100 on the season. 

• As of Thursday, Gomez ranks seventh in the NCAA at 2.74 digs per set, an average good for second in the EIVA. 

• As a team, Mason is second in the EIVA in hit percentage (.259), total kills (522) and total blocks (97), while tied for first in service aces (69). Additionally, the Patriots are third in the conference for blocks per set (2.20) and kills per set (11.86).

• Awards/Honors Archive: Johnny Gomez - Preseason Off The Block/SpringBak Inc. Top Player from Florida; Hayden Wagner - EIVA Offensive Player of the Week (Jan. 22); Johnny Gomez - EIVA Defensive Player of the Week (Jan. 22); Jack Reese - EIVA Defensive Player of the Week (Jan. 29); Kyle Barnes - EIVA Offensive Player of the Week (Feb. 19).

HISTORY VS. PENN STATE
While history has been on the NIttany Lions side, Mason's victories have have been some of the biggest wins in program history and ended up being season-altering for both teams. Examples include defeating Penn State in the conference championship in 1985 and 1986, as well as beating them three times in the 1984 run to the NCAA Tournament. The highest individual block performance by a Patriot in the rally-scoring era came against Penn State when Matt Steinfurth posted 14 total blocks on Mar. 25, 2006. Among current players, notable performances include Langston Payne's five total blocks on Apr. 15, 2017, Johnny Gomez's 20 digs in the team's 3-1 win on Senior Night of 2016 and Christian Malias' 16 kills and two aces on the road on Feb. 27, 2016. In Malias' first match against Penn State, he recorded his first career double-double (12 kills, 11 digs).

A LOOK AT THE NITTANY LIONS (8-2, 3-0 EIVA)
Penn State, picked to win the EIVA, is living up to the expectations about a third of the way through the season. The program that Jay Hosack once called home is leading the EIVA in aces per set (1.82), assists per set (11.45), attack percentage (.322) and kills per set (12.26). The Patriots will be challenged in the serve and pass game against Jalen Penrose, who's leading the nation in aces per set (0.676), as well as with outside hitter Matthew McLaren whose .341 attack percentage is 19th in the nation. Penn State remains undefeated at home this season and have a home winning streak of 12 consecutive matches that dates back to Mar. 4, 2017. The Nittany Lions' five-match winning streak is their longest of 2018 and is their longest since last season when they won five straight to begin conference play.

HISTORY VS. SAINT FRANCIS
The Patriots are 34-15 all-time against the Red Flash, and their 18-match winning streak from 1986-2003 is the program's second longest of all-time against an EIVA opponent. In a match against the Red Flash on Apr. 23, 2005, the Patriots logged 83 team kills which is tied for the highest total in program history during the rally-scoring era. Kyle Barnes will look to pick up where he left off last season against the Red Flash, most notably his 10 kill, .409 performance in the last matchup. Sam Greenslade will also look continue his success against Saint Francis, with his track record reading two service aces in each of his last two outings against them. This will be the 11th year in a row Mason will face Saint Francis in the month of February and the first time since 2016 that the first matchup will be in Loretto, Pa. 

A LOOK AT THE RED FLASH (7-8, 2-1 EIVA)
Saint Francis, picked to finish fourth in the EIVA, enters the weekend on a two-match winning streak and will host Charleston (W.V.) Friday night prior to the Mason match. The Red Flash boast reigning EIVA Defensive Player of the Week Hayden Herc who notched 13 total blocks for an average of 1.63 per set. On the attack, Saint Francis has utilized Stephen Braswell as its go-to attacker, leading the nation in total attacks per set (7.90) and leads the team with 2.90 kills per set - an average good for fourth in the conference. The reigning Second-Team All-EIVA selection is coming off a season high 17 kill match against Sacred Heart where he also factored into five blocks and picked up three service aces. The Red Flash are 3-3 this season following a win and have not won more that two straight matches this season.