WHEN: January 4, 2018 and January 5, 2018
OPPONENTS: Queens University of Charlotte – Friday at 7 p.m.; Barton College – Saturday at 7 p.m.
WHERE: Levine Center (Charlotte, N.C.) and Wilson Gymnasium (Wilson, N.C.)
LIVE STREAM: Queens | Barton
LIVE STATS: Queens | Barton
 
FAIRFAX, Va. – The George Mason men's volleyball team will open the 2019 season with a pair of road matches this weekend. First, the Patriots will take on Queens University of Charlotte on Friday at 7 p.m. in the Levine Center, followed by a match at Barton College on Saturday at 7 p.m. in Wilson Gymnasium.

"We are excited to start our 2019 campaign," said head coach Jay Hosack. "We have scheduled two very good teams from North Carolina, with Queens University, and the poll leader for Conference Carolinas, Barton College. Both teams are well coached, and we are stoked to finally see people in another jersey across the net."
 
PRESEASON HONORS
Several Mason student-athletes have been named to a handful of preseason watch lists. Senior Kyle Barnes and junior Hayden Wagner were selected as Mason's Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association (EIVA) Preseason Players to Watch. The duo of hitters led Mason in kills and kills per set in 2018.

In addition, Wagner, Barnes and redshirt sophomore Jack Reese were selected to several Off the Block preseason award watch lists. Barnes landed on the Karch Kiraly watch list, Wagner on the Bryan Ivie watch list and Reese on the Ryan Miller watch list.
 
PRESEASON POLLS
The Patriots were selected to finish third in the EIVA preseason poll. The Green & Gold received 51 points including three first place votes.

In the American Volleyball Coaches Association Preseason Poll, the Patriots received 13 votes, ranking just outside the top 15. Mason will face five AVCA preseason ranked opponents during non-conference play: No. 4 UC Irvine, No. 6 Pepperdine, No. 8 Ohio State, No. T-14 Grand Canyon and No. T-14 Purdue Fort Wayne.
 
SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS

Queens University of Charlotte - 2018 Record: 8-21, 1-5 Independent
Queens University of Charlotte's 2018 season came to a close in the IVA Championships' consolation match last year. The Royals finished their inaugural season with an overall record of 8-21 and a conference record of 1-5.

This will be the first meeting between the two teams in program history.

Barton College - 2018 Record: 21-8, 15-1 Conference Carolinas
The Bulldogs tallied 80 points on eight first-place votes from Conference coaches to enter the 2019 season as the preseason Conference Carolinas favorite.

Barton finished 21-8 last year including a 15-1 conference record.  The Bulldogs captured a share of the league regular season title before falling in the tournament championship finals. Barton returns all four players who earned All-Conference Carolinas honors last season: juniors Angelos Mandilaris and Oscar Fiorentino and seniors Vasilis Mandilaris and Aleksa Brkovic.

Mason holds a 3-0 all-time series record over Barton with its most recent victory coming last season on Feb. 9 in Fairfax, Va. (W, 3-0).

2018 LOOK BACK
The Patriots finished the 2018 season with a 17-12 overall record. Mason's 13-1 conference record led the Patriots to its first ever regular season EIVA championship in the modern era. The Green & Gold set a new school record with 11 consecutive conference victories. The Patriots' best single-season conference winning percentage allowed them to host the EIVA Tournament for the first time since 1994. Six Patriots were honored with EIVA postseason awards, including returners Wagner, Barnes and Reese.

UP NEXT
Mason will return home for the Uvaldo Acosta Invitational on Jan. 11-12. The Patriots will welcome No. 4 UC Irvine, Erskine and Princeton. All matches will be streamed through Mason's All Access. For all tournament details, click here.

MASON VOLLEYBALL

• Jay Hosack enters his fourth season at the helm of the program. His all-time record at Mason sits at 48-38 (.544). In his first season as head coach at Mason (2016), Hosack brought home the EIVA Tournament Championship and led Mason to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 28 years.
• The Patriots have made four appearances in the NCAA Tournament (1984, 1985, 1988, and 2016). Mason holds a 2-5 overall record in the NCAA Tournament.
• Since its inaugural season in 1975, the Patriots hold an overall record of 860-560-10 (.606) and boast an overall home record of 247-178 (.581).