George Mason (0-0) vs. American (0-0)
WHEN: Friday, Aug. 29 at 2 p.m.
WHERE: The RAC; Fairfax, Va.
LIVE STATS:  LINK
LIVE VIDEO:  LINK

George Mason (0-0) vs. Howard (0-0)
WHEN: Saturday, Aug. 30 at 1 p.m.
WHERE: The RAC; Fairfax, Va.
LIVE STATS:  LINK
LIVE VIDEO:  LINK
 
George Mason (0-0) vs. Georgetown (0-0)
WHEN: Sunday, Aug. 31 at 3 p.m.
WHERE: The RAC; Fairfax, Va.
LIVE STATS: LINK
LIVE VIDEO: LINK
 
FAIRFAX, Va. – The women's volleyball program kicks off their 2025 season this weekend with games against American, Howard, and Georgetown as a part of the DC Challenge. All three games will be held at The RAC on the George Mason University campus.
 
The Patriots start the weekend with American, with first serve set for 2 p.m. on Friday, August 29. The Patriots and Eagles are 18-25 historically. The last time George Mason beat American was in 2021. The Eagles finished 20-9 last year and saw their season end with a loss in the first round of the Patriot League Tournament. This season, sophomore Bella Marrero was picked as the Preseason Patriot League Libero of the Year, while sophomores Zedo Yilmaz and Elise Sterling were selected to the Preseason All-League team. You can read the entire AU Season Preview here.

On Saturday, George Mason will host Howard at 1 p.m. at The RAC. The Patriots lead the Bison 17-9 historically, but Howard has won the last three matchups. The Bison went 23-6 last season, and a perfect 14-0 in conference. They lost to #3 Delaware State in the championship game to end their season. Howard was picked to finish first in the MEAC preseason poll, with senior Rya McKinnon selected as the MEAC Preseason Player of the Year for the third consecutive season. Also on the MEAC preseason honors list is seniors Leah Reeves and Claire Simpson. 

The Green & Gold will round out the weekend hosting Georgetown. The Patriots and Hoyas are 14-21 historically, with Georgetown taking the last three games. The Hoyas finished 11-19 last season, and 4-14 in the Big East. They did not qualify for their conference tournament. Sophomore Dianna Mitchell returns for the Hoyas after her 2024 Big East All-Freshman team rookie year. They'll add six newcomers to the roster for the 2025 season. 
 
Patriot Points

• George Mason is coming off their most successful season since 2010, putting up 11 wins in 2024, missing an A-10 Tournament berth by one game
• The Green & Gold welcome six newcomers - five freshman and one transfer - to their 2025 roster
• Key returners for the Patriots include: Autumn Martinez-Robinson, last year's libero who played every set and finished seventh in the country in total aces and aces per set; Avery Booker, who was second on the team last year in kills (233) and service aces (25), and was named to the A-10 All-Rookie Team; Camryn Weldon and Damiana Bova-Ford, the dynamic setting duo who combined for a total of 1,094 assists last season; and Chelsea Colter, who led the team in blocks with 105.0, nearly doubling the next closest total.
• Head coach Megan Shifflett Bachmann was named the VaSID Coach of the Year for the 2024 season, and Autumn Martinez-Robinson was named to the VaSID All-State Second Team

Admission is free for all Patriots' women's volleyball home matches played at the RAC and all home games will be streamed nationally on ESPN+.