MEN’S VOLLEYBALL vs. Manhattan University
WHEN: Friday, February 6 (6 p.m.); Saturday, February 7 (5 p.m.)
WHERE: The RAC | Fairfax, Va.
RECORDS: George Mason (3-4, 0-0 EIVA); Manhattan (2-5, 0-0 NEC)
ALL-TIME SERIES: First-ever meeting
LIVE STATS: Click Here
WATCH (ESPN+) FEB. 6: Click Here
WATCH (ESPN+) FEB. 7: Click Here
FAIRFAX, Va. – For the third consecutive weekend, the George Mason Men’s Volleyball team will play host, as the Manhattan Jaspers will visit the Recreation Athletic Complex (RAC) for two games starting Friday evening at 6 p.m. The second and final game will be played the following day at 5 p.m.
LAST TIME OUT
Last weekend, George Mason (3-4, 0-0 EIVA) hosted Mount Olive, Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES) and No. 10 Ball State in the Uvaldo Acosta Memorial Tournament, where the Patriots collected two wins.
On Friday, the Patriots beat Mount Olive, 3-0, winning their second consecutive game behind sophomore pin hitter Aidan Weltin’s game-high 12 kills and junior outside hitter Robert Evangelista’s 10. George Mason delivered five service aces to the Trojans’ zero while the defense made 12 blocks compared to four.
George Mason split the Saturday doubleheader, first beating UMES, 3-1, thanks to junior pin hitter Sebastian Sanchez’s season record-setting 24 kills in a single match.
The Patriots’ three-game win streak was short-lived, however, as they were downed by No. 10 Ball State, 3-0, in the following game. The closest set was the first, where the Patriots had multiple chances to put away the Cardinals but ultimately fell 31-29, the most points scored in a single set for George Mason this season. Sophomore hitters Weltin and Jack Lopez shared the team-high in kills with 12 each.
SCOUTING MANHATTAN
After announcing a formation of a team in 2024, Manhattan is in the middle of their inaugural season. The Jaspers (2-6, 0-0 NEC) were picked to finish fifth out of seven in the Northeast Conference Preseason Poll.
The Jaspers are currently on a four-game losing streak, but they have picked up key victories over Harvard and Roosevelt, both in straight sets.
Sophomore outside hitter Kasen Owens creates the most offense for the Jaspers, leading the team in kills with 79. He had a career-high 22 kills in their loss to Sacred heart on Jan. 24th and added 10 more kills in their team’s latest game against Dominican (N.Y.) on Feb. 4th. On defense, freshman hitter Kai Patchell has a team-high 20 blocks, having recorded two solo blocks on two occasions this season (Jan. 16th vs Harvard & Jan 23rd vs. Roosevelt). The Laguna Beach, Calif., native also recorded a career-high seven digs in their latest game against Dominican.
STAT LEADERS
PATRIOTS (seven games played) | JASPERS (seven games played)
HISTORY WITH THE JASPERS
This will be the first-ever meeting between the Patriots and the Jaspers.
UP NEXT
The Patriots will hit the road for the next two weekends as well as beginning conference play. Next Friday and Saturday, Feb. 13th & 14th, George Mason will travel to Chareleston, W. Va., to face off against University of Charleston and open the EIVA season.
The following week, George Mason will in New Jersey, first against EIVA foe New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) in Newark on Feb. 20th at 6 p.m. They will then travel to Teaneck, N.J., for a single game at Fairleigh Dickinson on Feb. 21st at 2 p.m.