Team: George Mason

Nickname: Patriots

Coach: Ron Shayka

Record: 13-14

National Rank: 15th

Tournament Seed: 3rd

How they got here: Defeated Long Island University in the first round, 3-0. Defeated Princeton in quarterfinals, 3-1.

Against Penn State in 1992: 1-3

Strengths: At 6-foot-7, senior outside hitter Scott Metcalf anchors the Patriot offense. The Maryland native leads the team in kills (498) and is second in blocks (100). Despite missing several games due to injury, outside hitter Olivier Barthelemy tallied 283 kills, 11 service aces and 104 digs.

Jason Robertson, a 6-foot-1-inch outside hitter, leads the defense with 227 digs (2.52 per game). Senior middle blocker Rick Michelback leads the team in both hitting percentage (.348) and block average (1.53).

"We have gone through a lot of changes," Shayka explained. "Injuries have hurt us a lot. It took our best passer (Barthlelemy) out of the lineup. Now that he is back, our passing is better than ever. The last time we played Penn State, we went five games. I believe that was indicative of how the two team's stack up."

Weakness: Perhaps Mason's biggest weakness is their inconsistency. On paper, George Mason is one of the top teams in the EIVA, howver, they do not always play as such. In the opening week of the season, the Patriots proved their abilities with convincing victories over Rutgers-Newark and Penn State. In early Februaury, Shayka's squad topped then fourth-ranked Cal State-Northridge in four games. On the other hand, in their last eight regular-season games, the injury-plagued Patriots could only muster two wins.

"George Mason is an up-and-down team," said Penn State Coach Tom Peterson. "And they love to play against Penn State. It depends on what team shows up as far as I am concerned."