Mason (2-6) vs. New Hampshire (6-5)
WHEN: Friday, 7 p.m.
WHERE: Recreation Athletic Complex; Fairfax, Va.
LIVE STATS: LINK
LIVE VIDEO: ESPN+
 
Mason (2-6) vs. Maryland Eastern Shore (2-5)
WHEN: Saturday, 1:30 p.m.
WHERE: Recreation Athletic Complex; Fairfax, Va.
LIVE STATS: LINK
LIVE VIDEO: ESPN+
 
Mason (2-6) vs. Morgan State (0-11)
WHEN: Saturday, 6 p.m.
WHERE: Recreation Athletic Complex; Fairfax, Va.
LIVE STATS: LINK
LIVE VIDEO: ESPN+
 
FAIRFAX, Va.- The George Mason University women's volleyball team will return to Fairfax this weekend to host their annual George Mason Invitational beginning on Friday evening.
 
After a neutral site opener at 4:30 p.m., the Patriots will take the court against the University of New Hampshire at 7 p.m. The only other meeting between the teams was in 2013 in College Park, Md. where Mason took a 3-1 victory.
 
The Patriots will then play in Saturday's second match, taking the court with the University of Maryland Eastern Shore for the just second time. The first meeting between the two was the same weekend the Patriots played the Wildcats, also defeating the Hawks 3-1.
 
Lastly, Mason will cap off the tournament with a 6 p.m. matchup against Morgan State. The Patriots will look to avenge last year's 2-3 loss to the Bears in Fairfax.
 

PATRIOT POINTS

• Freshman Gabriella Gelfound continued her rookie season success this past weekend, recording her first career triple-double on Saturday. She ranks in the top-3 of every statistical category.
• Sophomore Olyvia Kennedy leads the Mason offense with 88 kills this season, and averaged 2.67 kills/set at the Colonial Classic.
• Senior Yanira Lopez-Barahona continued to make big strides this weekend, tallying 20 kills and six blocks.
• Defensively, graduate student Peyton Ehmke leads the team with 32 total blocks and 1.00 blocks/set while senior Stephanie Der paces the team with 4.86 digs/set.

SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS
New Hampshire is 6-5 this season after opening up their 2022 slate with a 4-0 home tournament weekend. The Wildcats are coming off a 3-0 win over Norfolk State to conclude the Tennessee Tournament in Knoxville. UNH is currently led by Marisa Armer, who has totaled 73 kills across all 11 of the team's matches. Defensively, Kelly Kaufmann and Kara Oxenknecht lead the Wildcats in blocking, averaging 1.10 and .94 blocks/set, respectively. 
 
Maryland Eastern Shore enters the George Mason Invitational with a 2-5 record after participating in three tournaments to open the season. The Hawks were also at the Colonial Classic on Sept. 9 and 10, falling to William & Mary (0-3) and Radford (1-3). Nkemjika Ikemefuna and Derionah Abner lead the UMES offense, tallying over 40 kills each. Defensively, Valeria Matias leads the Hawks with 3.86 digs/set while boasting a .956 reception percentage.
 
Morgan State is 0-11 this season after opening the season exclusively on the road. The Bears have matched up against familiar Mason opponents Akron (L, 0-3), Radford (L, 1-3) and American (L, 0-3). MSU is led offensively by recent Charlotte All-Tournament selection Makila Billingsley, who has tallied 80 kills so far this year. Defensively, Justyus Jackson paces the team with 18.0 total blocks while Alyssa Sampson has registered 121 digs this year. 


FULL TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
Friday, 4:30 p.m.- Maryland Eastern Shore vs. Morgan State
Friday, 7:00 p.m.- George Mason vs. New Hampshire

Saturday, 11:00 a.m.- Morgan State vs. New Hampshire
Saturday, 1:30 p.m.- George Mason vs. Maryland Eastern Shore
Saturday, 3:30 p.m.- New Hampshire vs. Maryland Eastern Shore
Saturday, 6:00 p.m.- George Mason vs. Morgan State
 

UP NEXT
Mason will open conference play on Friday, Sept. 23, when the Patriots welcome the VCU Rams to the RAC at 5 p.m.