FAIRFAX, Va. — The Catawba College men's volleyball program embarks on its second season of competition Saturday with a trip to 19th-ranked George Mason.
Looking Back at Year One
- Catawba is on the heels of its inaugural season in which the team posted a winning record of 13-12
- Eight victories were claimed via sweep, five of which occurred in friendly confines at Goodman Arena
- A highlight of the season was hosting then-No. 4 Hawai?i on Feb. 22 and taking a set from the Rainbow Warriors
- Opponents Hawai?i and Fort Valley State earned entries into the eight-team NCAA Tournament
- Graduate students Trevor Phillips and Eli Zdonek were named All-IVA selections, while Zdonek also earned IVA Newcomer of the Year status
Season Two on Deck
- The Catawba Indians look ahead to a 25-match slate including four against Division I institutions and seven against programs ranked or receiving votes in the preseason AVCA coaches' poll
- The blue and white will play at home 10 times with 14 road matches and one neutral-site match played in Bristol, Tenn.
- 11 players were members of the inaugural team, while two transferred in and seven are true freshmen
- Four everyday starters at the 2025 season's end are expected to be primary contributors
- Kristian Smith finished his sophomore season slotted 13th in the nation with 10.06 assists per set, while Max Adkisson landed 22nd for tallying 2.13 digs per stanza
Coast-to-Coast Coaches
- Both Catawba's Bill Ferguson and George Mason's Jay Hosack have coaching experience from the West Coast in their repertoire
- Ferguson, a native of Southern California, coached the USC Trojans for nine years and was invited to assist at the USA Volleyball Boys Indoor NTDP Winter Training Series hosted in Anaheim back in December
- On the home side of the court, Hosack begins his 11th year in Fairfax but also hails from the Golden State and spent his playing career at Division III UC Santa Cruz
- Hosack's first collegiate head coaching gig was with the Banana Slugs, winning 161 matches in his four-year tenure
Scouting the Patriots
- Despite being unranked in the final AVCA poll of 2025, George Mason was highlighted in the organization's preseason listing at the No. 19 spot
- The Patriots went 16-13 last season with an even 6-6 clip in EIVA play, boasting marquee wins over #19 NJIT and Merrimack in back-to-back fashion
- Among Mason's top players will be sophomore middle blocker Alexander Lillie who led the EIVA and placed ninth in the country with 1.132 blocks per set as a rookie
Follow Along
- The match will be broadcast live on ESPN+
- Live stats will be available on gomason.com
