#20 MEN'S VOLLEYBALL at #13 Ohio State
WHEN: Thursday, January 15 (7 p.m.)
WHERE: The Covelli Center | Columbus, Ohio
RECORDS: #20 George Mason (0-1, 0-0 EIVA); #13 Ohio State (2-0, 0-0 MIVA)
ALL-TIME SERIES: Ohio State leads, 34-27; last met on Jan. 15, 2023 (Ohio State won 3-1)
LIVE STATS: Click Here
WATCH (BigTen+): Click Here
#20 MEN'S VOLLEYBALL vs. #2 Long Beach State
WHEN: Friday, January 16 (1 p.m.)
WHERE: The Covelli Center | Columbus, Ohio
RECORDS: #20 George Mason (0-1, 0-0 EIVA); #2 Long Beach State (2-0, 0-0 Big West)
ALL-TIME SERIES: Long Beach leads 5-0; last met on Jan. 19, 2024 (Long Beach won 3-1)
LIVE STATS: Click Here
WATCH (BigTen+): Click Here
COLUMBUS, Ohio – The No. 20 George Mason Men's Volleyball team hits the road for the first time this 2026 season, as they travel to Columbus, Ohio, to face No. 13 Ohio State and No. 2 Long Beach State at the Covelli Center.
LAST TIME OUT
The Patriots
dropped their season opener last Saturday, 3-2, when they hosted Catawba College. 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.
Redshirt senior
Liam French led the Patriots in kills with 15, while junior
Robert Evangelista, who had the second-most kills with 14, led the team in service aces with two. Senior setter
Georgi Zahariev had 42 assists, and sophomore libero
Stef Kins had a game-high 14 digs.
SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS
No. 13 Ohio State Buckeyes (HOST)
Record: 2-0, 0-0 MIVA
The Buckeyes have started the season 2-0, not having dropped a set in either of their victories against Central State (Jan. 8) and NJIT (Jan. 9) at home.
In the Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association's (MIVA) Preseason Coaches Poll, Ohio State was picked to finish second in the nine-team conference and collected two first-place votes. Loyola Chicago was picked first and took five first-place votes.
In this week's
AVCA National Collegiate MVB Poll (Jan. 12), the Buckeyes moved up one spot in the ranking and are now tied for 13
th with EIVA foe, Penn State. George Mason, on the other hand, moved down one spot and is now No. 20.
Senior Shane Wetzel currently leads the team in kills with 16. Tied for second on the Buckeye squad with 12 are redshirt junior Daniel Hurley and sophomore Stanislaw Chacinski. Both Wetzel and Chacinski were selected to the 2026 Preseason All-MIVA Team
No. 2 Long Beach State
Record: 2-0, 0-0 Big West
Defending national champion No. 2 Long Beach State will return to Columbus for the first time since they won the 2025 title. The Beach have also opened their season winning in straight sets against Lindenwood (Jan. 9) and McKendree (Jan. 10) at their home court.
Long Beach State was picked to win the Big West Conference, just edging out No. 3 Hawai'i. The Beach moved up in the rankings this week and are now No. 2 in the country, according to this week's AVCA poll.
Freshmen Jackson Crust and Jake Pazanti took home the latest Big West Player of the Week honors after their strong performances in their NCAA debuts. Cryst had nine total blocks over the weekend and averaged 1.50 blocks per set, while freshman setter Pazanti tallied 58 assists (9.67 per set).
Other players to look out for from the Beach are senior Alex Varga and sophomore Alex Kandev. Both hitters, who currently lead the team with kills were named to the Big West Preseason Coaches' Team. Varga has 18 kills, while Kandev has 16.
UP NEXT
After George Mason's two-game road trip, they will return to the RAC and host Merrimack on Saturday, Jan. 24, at 5 p.m. The home match will also feature a poster signing by the Men's Volleyball Team.
