Jan. 10, 2005

The 2004 season was a tough one for the George Mason men's volleyball team. Injuries to several key veterans forced some young players into the action before they were ready. There was a struggle to find the first win of the season and to overcome inconsistencies that allowed the Patriots to defeat a top 10 team only to lose to sub-.500 opponents.

What a difference a year should make. With those young players now veterans, injured players healed and some impact student-athletes arriving, 2005 promises to be the type of season that will have people talking in Fairfax.

The Patriots will begin pursuit of the Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association title on January 14 when they host St. Francis (Pa.) College at John Linn Memorial Gymnasium. Taking the court that night for Mason will be a pair of premier outside hitters and one of the region's top setters.

Fifth-year senior Dave Egan enters the 2005 campaign needing just five assists to break the school's rally-scoring era record for career assists. He currently has 2,195 assists and he ranks third on the school's all-time list.

"Dave has matured as a player and a leader," said Fred Chao, head coach of the team. "He is capable of creating opportunities for his hitters off any pass. His block is his own personal weapon and he has the capacity to create difficulties for any hitter who hits against him. He has become stronger in the fall and it has helped all facets of his game."

Egan was first-team All-EIVA as a sophomore but last year he struggled through some injuries and with fewer weapons than in the past, his production fell. The one weapon he could rely on in 2004, though, was a truly effective one.

Fifth-year senior Felix Campos was second in the nation (Divisions I and II) in kills per game while setting Mason rally-scoring era records for single-season kills (455), career kills (842) and single-match kills (32). He was second-team All-EIVA and he brought excitement to Linn Gym every time he attacked the ball.

"Felix is an exciting player who is capable of carrying a lot of offense, as he demonstrated last year," Chao said. "He possesses a very live arm and can score front row and back. He has continued to grow as a player and can handle the pressure of big games."

Missing from the Mason attack in 2004 was redshirt junior Shaun Powell. Powell has appeared in just five games spread over two matches in the past 20 months as he attempted to come back from a leg injury last year only to find that he wasn't up to the challenge. As a sophomore in 2003, he led the team in kills and kills per game. He and Campos will make a formidable challenge for the opposition.

"Shaun will be a very welcome re-addition to the line-up," Chao said. "He is a very explosive and dominant player and has good instincts both offensively and defensively. He can break up defenses with his power and can put up an intimidating block."

Another valuable veteran returning to the attack is junior middle blocker Matt Steinfurth. Steinfurth burst onto the EIVA scene in 2003 earning second-team All-EIVA honors as a rookie. Despite missing some time last season, he still managed to repeat the honor, finishing tenth in the EIVA in total blocks with 1.16 per game. In each of the past two seasons he has topped 175 kills and 85 total blocks. His .370 career hitting percentage is fourth-best in Mason's rally-scoring era history.

"Matt will continue to be a dominant presence at the net," Chao said. "He is a complete middle who can attack from block at a very high level. He also has a high level of ball control which makes him a valuable, all-around player."

Several players return to the Patriots after productive rookie seasons. Libero Graham Sheppard returns to that role after a season in which he led the team with 135 digs, an average of 1.63 digs per game. R.J. Goubeaux returns at middle blocker after finishing third on the team in blocks per game (0.80) and fourth in hitting percentage (.222). Arturo Barreiro is back at outside hitter after more than 100 kills and a 1.85 kills per game average. Middle blocker Kyle Swanson is back after limited action in 2004. He played in just 17 games but averaged nearly a block per game.

Set to make an impact for the Patriots is redshirt freshman Hudson Bates, who transferred to Mason from Long Beach State, one of the nation's top programs. Bates, a native of Richmond, Va., showed why he had the talent to belong at Long Beach State when the Patriots played three preseason matches in Canada this past fall. He averaged 4.14 kills per game while hitting .396. He also had one dig per game and .79 blocks per game.

"Hudson joins a strong group of Patriots and adds more size, strength as well as finesse," Chao said. "Hudson will also carry part of the passing duties. As a hitter he can hit high and hard, has good range, has many tools and the maturity use them."

Other players looking to take the court for the first time this year are redshirt freshman Billy Freesmeier, who was injured throughout 2004, along with freshmen Dale Brink (Sandston, Va.), Daniel Cullis (Fairfax, Va.) and Carlos Silen (San Juan, Puerto Rico).

Leading the Patriots as usual is Chao, who was promoted to full-time coach after last season. For his first six years at the helm, he split time between his duties running the men's team and assisting with the women's team. With his focus squarely on the men's team, he has already brought in a talented freshman class and had his team preparing for a season filled with challenges.

The Patriots have seven matches scheduled against teams that finished the 2004 season in the nation's top 15 as they will take on No. 3 UCLA and No. 6 Cal. State-Northridge on the road, No. 9 Lewis University at home and No. 7 Penn State and No. 12 Ball State both at home and on the road. Receiving votes in the final poll last season were Rutgers-Newark and IPFW, both of which are on Mason's schedule this season. The Patriots also have a pair of matches against Juniata, which won the NCAA Division III Championship last season.