WHEN: Jan. 4 | 7 p.m.
WHERE: Recreation and Athletic Facility (Fairfax, Va.)
COVERAGE: ESPN+ | LIVE STATS
2020 MEDIA GUIDE | 2020 QUICK FACTS

FAIRFAX, Va. - The George Mason men's volleyball team opens their 2020 season on Saturday as the Patriots host No. 2 UCLA at 7 p.m. inside the Recreation and Athletic Facility (RAC).
 
Mason (17-9, 10-4 EIVA) looks to improve in the EIVA from last season where they finished second in the conference. The Patriots were selected to finish third in the 2020 EIVA preseason coaches' poll for the third consecutive season and will need to finish in the top four of the conference to return to the tournament for a consecutive season.
 
The Patriots are 31-13 (.704) all-time in season openers, including a 3-1 record under head coach Jay Hosack.
 
Hosack will look to rewrite history against the Bruins. During his first year at the helm, Hosack and the Patriots opened the season at home against UCLA but fell in straight sets on Jan. 5, 2016 inside the RAC.
 
Mason returns 11 letter-winners, including seniors Hayden Wagner and Sam Greenslade.
 
Wagner was an AVCA All-American Honorable Mention, First Team All-EIVA selection and EIVA All-Tournament Team selection in 2019. The opposite was ranked first in the EIVA and fifth in the country in kills per set (4.26) and first in the EIVA and third in the nation in points per set (5.20) last season.
 
Greenslade finished the 2019 season with the team lead in service aces (38) and second on the team in total kills (215), leading to his first career First Team All-EIVA selection.
 
SCOUTING THE BRUINS (1-0, 0-0 MPSF)
 
UCLA participated in the Can Am Holiday Volleyball Showcase in Toronto over the holiday  break to begin their 2019-20 season. The Bruins participated in three exhibition games and their first contest of the season against Daemen, where UCLA defeated the Wildcats in straight sets (25-16, 25-16, 25-17).

The Bruins are led by AVCA All-American middle blocker Daenan Gyimah, who led the Bruins in blocks (81), and kills (311) last season. UCLA ranked second in the 2020 AVCA preseason poll, behind only Hawaii.
 
Last season, UCLA earned a regular season record of 19-9, 8-4 in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) conference. The Bruins made it into the MPSF conference semifinals, where they fell to USC in four sets (21-25, 18-25, 27-25, 23-25).