WHEN: Friday and Saturday, Sept. 6-7
WHERE: Baltimore, Md. | UMBC Event Center
RECORDS: Mason (0-2, 0-0), UMBC (1-2, 0-0), Delaware (2-1, 0-0), Saint Francis (0-3, 0-0)
LIVE STATS: Delaware | UMBC | Saint Francis
 
FAIRFAX, Va. – The George Mason women's volleyball team will compete in the Retriever Challenge hosted by UMBC on Sept. 6-7 at the UMBC Event Center in Baltimore, Md. The Patriots will face Delaware (10 a.m.) and UMBC (7 p.m.) on Friday, followed by an 11 a.m. match against Saint Francis (Pa.) on Saturday.
 
The Patriots wrapped up a 0-2 opening weekend, falling to East Carolina and Providence on Sept. 1. Senior Bailey Williams led the Patriots with 27 total kills and 18 total digs. As starting libero, freshman Stephanie Der posted 26 digs through two matches.
 
SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS
Delaware: 
Delaware went 2-1 at the Delaware Classic, defeating Coppin State and Binghamton. The Blue Hens' lone loss came against West Virginia by a score of 3-1. Senior Maria Bellinger was named the Colonial Athletic Association's Player of the Week, while freshman Lani Mason was tabbed Rookie of the Week.
 
UD was selected to finish seventh in the CAA Preseason Coaches' Poll while Bellinger was selected to the Preseason All-CAA Team. The two teams share a 22-19 all-time record, in favor of the Blue Hens. UD has won the last five matchups, dating back to 2009 when Mason claimed a five-set victory over Delaware in the CAA Semifinals. 
 
UMBC: 
UMBC opened the 2019 season 1-2 at the UMBC Invitational. The Retrievers defeated Lafayette, 3-1, in their opening match but fell to Fairfield, 3-2, and Temple, 3-1, to round out competition.
 
Mason and Saint Francis are meeting for the first time in six years. The Patriots claimed a 3-1 victory on Sept. 4, 2013 in Baltimore, Md. 
 
Saint Francis:
Saint Francis went 0-3 at the YSU Invitational, falling to Youngstown State, 3-0, the Citadel, 3-1, and Bucknell, 3-0. Sophomore Madi Tyus recorded 35 kills in two games to land on the YSU All-Tournament Team. 
 
The Red Flash was picked to finish seventh in the Northeast Conference Preseason Coaches' Poll. SFU finished last season seventh in NEC play with a 4-10 record. The two teams share a short history, with Mason holding a 3-0 advantage. Mason last faced Saint Francis Sept. 20, 2014 in Loretto, Pa., resulting in a 3-1 victory for the Patriots.
 
ABOUT THE PATRIOTS
Head coach Aylene Ilkson enters her third season at the helm of the program. The Patriots return 11 letterwinners and all but one starter to the 2019 squad. In addition, Mason will add six freshmen to complete its roster.
 
Mason (10-15, 8-6) ended the 2018 season with its best overall record since 2015. Making their first trip to the A-10 Championship in program history, the Patriots finished with a program-best A-10 record of 8-6 to finish fourth in the league.
 
The Patriots return all of their top three offensive performers: Bailey Williams, Peyton Ehmke and ShaLi Niu. Williams, a 2018 Second Team All-Conference honoree, led the team in kills per set (2.86) last season and has totaled 721 kills in her career. Ehmke finished her freshman campaign first on the team in blocks per set (1.03) and third in kills per set (2.25). Niu, who was named VaSID Rookie of the Year, was second on the team in kills per set (2.54) and third in digs per set (1.96).