WHEN: January 31 - February 1, 2020
WHERE: Recreation Athletic Complex (RAC)
PARTICIPATING SCHOOLS: No. 6 Lewis, Barton and Loyola-Chicago
LIVE STATS
Mason Match 1 | Mason Match 2
FAIRFAX, Va. - The George Mason men's volleyball team is set to host the annual Uvaldo Acosta Invitational on Jan. 31 - Feb. 1 inside the Recreation Athletic Complex (RAC). Mason welcomes No. 6 Lewis, Barton and Loyola-Chicago for a four-match, two-day invitational.
The event begins on Jan. 31 when No. 6 Lewis plays Barton at 5 p.m., followed by a match featuring the Patriots, hosting Loyola-Chicago at 7 p.m.
The following Saturday, Loyola-Chicago competes against Barton at 5 p.m. while Mason hosts No. 6 Lewis at 7 p.m. to finish the weekend.
The two Mason contests will be streamed via ESPN+. To follow all of the matches, keep up via live stats.
UVALDO ACOSTA LEGACY
Uvaldo Acosta was a three-time All-American for the Patriots and led George Mason to the 1988 NCAA Final Four. He was a member of the U.S. National team from 1989-1992. After his playing career, Acosta took over the helm of the George Mason program and in his second year as coach he tragically drowned during a trip to Hawaii with his team at the age of 32. The EIVA Player of the Year award is named after Acosta and each year Mason holds the Uvaldo Acosta Memorial Invitational to honor its alumnus and coach.
SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS
Loyola-Chicago: 3-5, 0-0 MIVA
The Ramblers are unranked for the first time this season after starting the season 3-5, despite receiving 12 points in the most recent poll.
Redshirt freshman Cole Schlothauer leads the Ramblers with 106 kills (3.66 k/s) and and 122.5 points (4.22 points per set).
Loyola-Chicago is coming off of a straight set victory (25-12, 25-16, 25-19) versus Urbana, a contest where the Ramblers recorded their highest hitting percentage of the season (.469).
Loyola-Chicago has only lost four of their 20 matches against the Patriots. The Ramblers have won the last three meetings, the most recent coming on Jan. 12, 2018, earning a 3-1 victory over Mason.
No. 6 Lewis: 5-3, 0-0 MIVA
Lewis is currently ranked sixth in the AVCA Top 15 poll, including two straight set wins versus Urbana (25-17, 25-13, 26-24) and Charleston (WVa.) (25-15, 25-22, 25-15) this past week.
Freshman Jackson Hickman led Lewis with seven kills in the win over the Blue Knights while redshirt junior Tyler Mitchem finished with 10 kills, four blocks and an ace in the win over the Golden Eagles on Saturday.
The Flyers have started the season 5-3, thanks in large part to redshirt senior Ryan Coenen, who leads the Flyers with 85 kills (3.27 k/s).
Saturday will be the 27th meeting between the two programs, with the Flyers leading the all-time series 22-5 over the Patriots.
