FAIRFAX, Va. – George Mason athletics is recognizing and celebrating 50 years of women's volleyball during the 2024-25 season.
 
Throughout the year, the program and department will be highlighting major milestones, events and athletes over the past 50 years. One of the first women's varsity sports offered at the university, women's volleyball played in the Virginia State AIAW, a small college division, before moving to NCAA Division I in 1982. 
 
The Patriots played its first season in 1974 and finished with a winning 19-8 mark. Mason joined the Colonial Athletic Association for the 1984-85 season where they went on to win seven CAA Championships. George Mason athletics relocated to the Atlantic 10 Conference during the 2013-14 school year.
 
A number of notable former players and coaches from the past 50 years who have made their mark on the program and university will be celebrated at games and on social media. Fans should be on the lookout for Q&A's, interactive polls and trivia and events throughout the season where they can help celebrate this historic milestone.
 
Mason will open the 2024 season with the DC Challenge on Friday, August 30 at Howard and Saturday against American in the nation's capital. The Patriots will welcome UC Riverside to the RAC on Sunday to close out the opening weekend.
 
As the season nears, more information will be released, and fans can help kick off the 50^th celebration.