MEN’S VOLLEYBALL vs. Queens University of Charlotte
WHEN: Friday, March 6 (6 p.m.)
WHERE: Levine Center | Charlotte, N.C.
RECORDS: George Mason (9-6, 2-2 EIVA); Queens (6-10, 1-7 MIVA)
ALL-TIME SERIES: George Mason leads, 3-0; last met Jan. 23, 2025 in Fairfax – George Mason won 3-1
LIVE STATS: Click Here
WATCH (Queens Sports Network) MARCH 6: Click Here

MEN’S VOLLEYBALL vs. Belmont Abbey College

WHEN: Saturday, March 7 (4 p.m.)

WHERE: Wheeler Center | Belmont, N.C.

RECORDS: George Mason (9-6, 2-2 EIVA); Belmont Abbey (9-2, 5-1 Conference Carolinas)

ALL-TIME SERIES: George Mason leads, 1-0; last met Jan. 6, 2017 in Belmont – George Mason won 3-0

LIVE STATS: Click Here

WATCH (Conference Carolinas Digital Network) MARCH 7: Click Here

Charlotte, N.C. – The George Mason Men’s Volleyball team will hit the road to North Carolina for a pair of games in Charlotte and Belmont. The Patriots will first play Queens at Levine Center on Friday, March 6, at 6 p.m., followed by a Saturday matchup with Belmont Abbey at Wheeler Center at 4 p.m.

LAST TIME OUT

Last weekend, George Mason (9-6, 2-2 EIVA) went undefeated in their two-game homestand, beating No. 19 NJIT on Friday and Dominican on Sunday.

On Friday, the Patriots beat No. 19 NJIT 3-1 and evened their home-and-home season series with the Highlanders. It was the Patriots’ first ranked-win since last season on March 14, 2025, when they beat the Highlanders, ranked No. 19 as well, by the same score. Sophomore pin hitter Aidan Weltin and junior outside hitter Robert Evangelista recorded a team-high 15 kills, and senior setter Georgi Zahariev had a season-high 53 assists and was one shy of tying his career best set on April 19, 2023, against Harvard.

Later that weekend, the Patriots swept Dominican in a decisive Sunday victory. Sophomore middle blocker Alexander Lillie tied his season-high of two solo blocks for the third time and recorded game-highs in blocks (3.5) and service aces (2).

AWARDS

George Mason picked up their second Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association (EIVA) weekly award of the season this week with Zahariev being named the conference’s Offensive Player of the Week. Less than 24 hours later, he was named the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) National Collegiate Men’s Player of the Week. Zahariev is the 57th EIVA student-athlete to earn the AVCA national award and marks the 10th time a Patriot has won it. He is the first from the EIVA since Penn State’s John Kerr on April 21, 2024 and first from George Mason since Jack Bolz on March 31, 2024.

The weekly national award takes into consideration the strong individual efforts of national collegiate volleyball players from across the country during the week. After last week’s action, the Stara Zagora, Bulgaria, setter leads the EIVA and ranks 12th nationally at 10.02 assists per set.

GAME 1: SCOUTING QUEENS

Queens (6-10, 1-7 MIVA), after starting the season 4-1, have posted a 2-9 record the last 11 games and are currently on a five-game losing streak which include ranked opponents such as No. 11 Ohio State, No. 15 Lewis and No. 14 McKendree. Their last win came on Feb. 15 with a thrilling five-set victory over Midwest Intercollegiate Volleyball Association (MIVA) opponent #11 Ohio State.

Sophomore outside hitter Casey Maas is the team’s leader in kills with 150. The Glen Ellyn, Illinois, native had a career-high 22 kills in their ranked win over the Buckeyes on Feb. 15. 

Two other Royals are over the century mark in kills, and they are outside hitters Chance Shampine and Kaden Saurer with 121 and 115, respectively. Shampine also leads the team in digs (81) and service aces (19).

On defense, middle hitter Nathan Vaupel has the most blocks on the team with 41. The senior from West Bend, Wisconsin, product last recorded two solo blocks on Feb. 5 in their loss to No. 9 Ball State.

STAT LEADERS

PATRIOTS (15 games played) | ROYALS (16 games played)

HISTORY WITH THE ROYALS
The Patriots hold a 3-0 all-time series lead over Queens. George Mason won their first meeting in straight sets in Charlotte on Jan. 4, 2019.

Three years later on Feb. 19, 2022, in Fairfax, the Patriots won in five sets. Finally, in their most recent meeting last season on Jan. 23, 2025, the Patriots won 3-1 in Fairfax.

GAME 2: SCOUTING BELMONT ABBEY

Belmont Abbey (9-2, 5-1 CC) stands at the top of the Conference Carolinas standings with a 5-1 record and a 9-2 overall record. The Crusaders are 5-1 the last six games, with their only loss being a five-set loss to conference foe, Barton.

Belmont is currently on a two-game winning streak, beating conference opponent Mount Olive and Queens both in straight sets.

Senior outside hitter Caden Day is the team’s leader in kills with 152. Day has recorded six games in which he has made 15 or more kills for the Crusaders, with his season-high of 19 coming on the team’s Feb. 11 five-set win over Erskine.

Outside hitter Zach Puentes is the team’s second-highest offensive scorer, having recorded 123 kills so far in his junior campaign. Junior setter Joseph Morris has the most assists with 416 and had a five-ace game in their loss to Lincoln Memorial on Feb. 13.

On defense, senior middle blocker Jibriel Elhaddad leads the team in blocks with 42. The Jupiter, Florida, product has had two games in which he recorded two solo blocks (March 3 vs. Queens and Feb. 14 vs. Emmanuel).

STAT LEADERS

PATRIOTS (15 games played) | CRUSADERS (11 games played)

HISTORY WITH THE CRUSADERS
This will be the Patriots’ first meeting with the Crusaders since Jan. 6, 2017, when the Green & Gold won in straight sets in Belmont.

UP NEXT

George Mason will return home to the Recreation Athletics Complex (RAC) next week for two games. On Friday, March 13, the Patriots will play Barton College at 6 p.m. After a rest day on Saturday, the Patriots will face FDU on Sunday at 2 p.m. to conclude their home-and-home series with the Knights.