FAIRFAX, Va. – The No. 19 George Mason Men's Volleyball team lost to Catawba College, 3-2, in Saturday's 2026 season opener at the Recreation Athletic Center (RAC) in Fairfax. With tonight's loss, the Patriots drop their fourth consecutive season opener.

PATRIOT POINTS

• Redshirt senior outside hitter Liam French led the Patriots in kills with 15.
• Junior outside hitter Robert Evangelista led the team in aces with two. Evangelista also had the second-most kills on the team with 14.
• Senior setter Georgi Zahariev led with 42 assists.
• Sophomore libero Stef Kins had a game-high 14 digs, followed by Zahariev with nine.
• Freshman middle blocker Brady Ruth made his NCAA debut this evening, recording a kill and two block assists.

All five sets at the RAC were tightly contested, with the largest lead either school enjoyed being only five points. Every set also featured scoring streaks that would turn the momentum for the team that would eventually win the set.

SET #1: GMU - 25, Catawba - 20
After George Mason opened the first set with a service error, the Patriots jumped to an early 6-3 lead and held off the Catawba Indians from ever taking the lead. The score came as close as 15-13, but the Patriots went on a 10-5 run to take the first set 25-20.

SET #2: GMU - 22, Catawba 25
The second set saw the Patriots take a commanding 6-2 lead, thanks to kills by French, senior middle blocker Elijah Lazor and Evangelista. However, the Catawba Indians scored three points in quick succession to chip away at the Patriot lead. Eventually the score was tied 14-14, and Catawba rattled off the first of their two five-plus scoring streaks.

It was the Patriots' turn to chip away at the deficit, and they capitalized on multiple Catawba Indian errors. George Mason was able to cut the Catawba Indian lead to just 22-20. Unfortunately for the Patriots, both schools would trade the final five points, and Catawba held off the Patriot rally to take the second set, 25-22.

SET #3: GMU - 25, Catawba 23
The third set saw the roles reversed; Catawba this time jumped to an early four point lead, and George Mason went on a hot streak to narrowly take the set. The tipping point for this set happened when the Patriots were trailing the Catawba Indians 18-15 and went on a 6-1 run to retake the lead 21-20. The set was tied at 22, but kills from junior opposite hitter Jackson Herbert and French propelled the Patriots to take the third set 25-23.

SET #4: GMU - 22, Catawba 25
Up until the latter half of the set, the largest lead either school held in the fourth set was just two points. That all changed when Catawba went on a 7-2 run to take a 23-18 lead. The Patriots went on a subsequent 4-1 run, but Catawba's senior outside hitter John Cordray ended George Mason's rally bid with a set-ending kill. Cordray would go on to have a game-high 19 kills.

SET #5: GMU - 12, Catawba 15
The fifth and final set saw the most scoring streaks on either side in the whole game. George Mason stormed out and scored their only five-score streak of the night. The Patriots went into the abbreviated period break with a commanding 8-4 lead, but the Catawba Indians quickly evaporated that lead with their second five-plus scoring streak of the game.

With the score tied at 10-a-piece, Catawba took the lead with a Cordray kill and never looked back. A subsequent Catawba kill extended the lead to two points. George Mason's Evangelista recorded the team's eventual final kill of the night right after, but the Catawba Indians once again held off the Patriot rally with a 3-1 run and ultimately sealed the upset in Fairfax.

COACH'S CORNER
"Hats off to Catawba's head coach Bill Ferguson and his crew," said Patriot head Coach Jay Hosack. "They came ready to play, and we did not look like we were ready to respond. January volleyball is always not the best, but it's how you respond that will show the true heart of this team. I know we will learn from this."

UP NEXT
After the home opener, the Patriots will travel to Columbus, Ohio, for two matches. They will face host No. 14 Ohio State on Jan. 15, followed by a meeting with No. 3 Long Beach State the next day (Jan. 16). The Patriots will then return home to host Merrimack on Jan. 24^th at 6 p.m. at the RAC.