MEN'S VOLLEYBALL vs. Saint Francis
WHEN: Friday, March 27 (6 p.m.) and Saturday, March 28 (5 p.m.)
WHERE: The RAC | Fairfax, Va.
RECORDS: George Mason (14-7, 4-2 EIVA); Saint Francis (11-8, 5-1 NEC)
ALL-TIME SERIES: George Mason leads, 44-18; last met last season on
Feb. 28, 2025 in Loretto, Pa. (George Mason lost 3-0)
LIVE STATS: Click Here
WATCH (ESPN+) MARCH 27: Click Here
WATCH (ESPN+) MARCH 28: Click Here
FAIRFAX, Va. – The George Mason men's volleyball team will return to the Recreation Athletic Complex (RAC) this weekend for a two game series against Saint Francis to close out regular season non-conference play. This will be the Patriots' first of three consecutive weekend home series.
LAST TIME OUT
Last weekend, George Mason (14-7, 4-2 EIVA) returned to Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association (EIVA) play and won both of their road games against Sacred Heart in Fairfield, Connecticut.
On Friday, the Patriots swept the Pioneers after a hard-fought first set that took the Patriots to the brink. down 24-21, the Patriots scored the final five points to win the set and subsequently power through the rest of the game. Aside from aces, where Sacred Heart had the upper hand four to one, the Patriots edged out the Pioneers in hitting percentage (.488 to .209), points (54.0 to 42.5), kills (46 to 34), blocks (seven to four), assists (45 to 34) and digs (29 to 20). Senior middle blocker
Elijah Lazor had a game-high six blocks and scored the team's only service ace in the third set.
The Patriots continued their strong weekend the next day and
swept the Pioneers for a consecutive time. The Patriots recorded a season-high nine service aces for the second time this season. They first recorded nine aces this season last week in their 3-1 win over FDU in Fairfax on
March 15.
The pair of wins over Sacred Heart extended their win streak over the Pioneers to 21, dating back to 2014.
AWARDS
George Mason picked up their fifth overall and fourth consecutive EIVA weekly award of the season with
Aidan Weltin being named the conference's
Defensive Player of the Week.
Weltin continues to be an anchor for the George Mason squad, as the Patriots went a clean 2-0 this weekend over EIVA opponent Sacred Heart. The Lombard, Illinois, product played in all six sets swinging .460 and totaled 28 kills and three service aces, both weekend team-highs.
His 17 kills in
Friday's win were also his third highest of the season. In
Saturday's win, Weltin also had a serve percentage of .750 and a game-high three service aces.
To round out the weekend, Weltin recorded a .735 receiving percentage, had a team-leading 12 digs, had two block assists and totaled 32.0 points, averaging 5.33 points per set (both also team-leading).
Weltin leads the EIVA in kills (4.07) and points (4.72) per set, is second in aces (0.39), sixth in hitting (.265) and eighth in digs (1.68).
2026 Weekly Awards List
- Feb. 9: Aidan Weltin Named EIVA Offensive Player of the Week
- March 2: Georgi Zahariev Named EIVA Offensive Player of the Week & AVCA National Collegiate Men's Player of the Week
- March 9: Alexander Lillie Named EIVA Offensive Player of the Week
- March 16: Jackson Herbert Named EIVA Offensive Player of the Week
- March 23: Aidan Weltin Named EIVA Defensive Player of the Week
SCOUTING SAINT FRANCIS
Saint Francis (11-8, 5-1 Northeast Conference) were picked to finish atop the NEC standings in the preseason coaches poll. The Red Flash, who had two first place votes and are three-time defending NEC regular season champs, were not alone at the top, as they were tied with Daemen who had three first place nods.
The Red Flash are currently on a four-game winning streak, taking back-to-back home sweeps against NEC opponents UMES and Daemen. Three of those four games featured shutouts; their first game against Daemen went the full five sets.
Outside hitter Brady Stump is the team's leader in kills with 140. The senior from York, Pennsylvania, had a career-high 23 kills in their five-set win to Roberts Wesleyan on Jan. 30. Stump was also named one of this week's Prime Performers by the NEC for tacking on 25 kills over their weekend against Daemen.
Two other players are over the century mark in kills. Senior outside hitter Cole Dorn has 140 kills, while graduate student outside hitter Nathan Zini has 137. Zini was another one who was recognized this week by the conference as a Prime Performer.
The third Prime Performer from Saint Francis this week was given to sophomore setter Kyle Charles, who leads the team in assists with 427. The Lititz, Pennsylvania, native posted 36 and 35-assist games last weekend and recorded seven total digs.
On defense, senior middle blocker Sam Lane has the most blocks on the team with 42. He has posted two solo blocks two weeks in a row and has nine total this season.
STAT LEADERS
PATRIOTS (21 games played) | RED FLASH (19 games played)
HISTORY WITH THE RED FLASH
Since their first meeting on Jan. 27, 2000, the Patriots hold a commanding 44-18 all-time series lead over Saint Francis. The Patriots and Red Flash have met nine times since 2020, with the Green & Gold having won seven.
Last season, on
Feb. 28, 2025, the Patriots lost to the Red Flash, 3-0, in Loretto, Pennsylvania. The last time George Mason won against Saint Francis was
March 2, 2024, when the Patriots won 3-1 in Fairfax.
UP NEXT
George Mason will remain home at the RAC and begin their final push in the EIVA schedule, starting with a series with Harvard. The Patriots' first game against the Crimson will be Friday, April 3, at 6 p.m., followed by a Saturday, April 4, 2 p.m. first serve.
