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Two All-EIVA senior starters will be back to help George Mason make a run at the EIVA championship in 2021.
Coach Jay Hosack informed Off the Block that both opposite Hayden Wagner and outside attacker Sam Greenslade will return for the upcoming season.
The NCAA granted men’s volleyball players an extra year of eligibility after the remainder of the 2020 season was canceled in March because of the coronavirus pandemic. This eligibility ruling, which applied to all student-athletes in spring sports, resulted in seniors being able to return for the 2021 season.
Wagner missed a majority of the 2020 season with an injury, but in the season’s opening week he had a match-high 14 kills and zero errors on a .538 attack percentage in a sweep against USC. The previous year Wagner led the EIVA and was fifth in the nation with a 4.26 kills per game average en route to being an All-American Honorable Mention and earning First-Team All-EIVA honors.
Greenslade last season was fourth in the EIVA with a 2.02 digs per game average and in the conference’s top 15 with a 2.59 kills per game average. The Second-Team All-EIVA selection also had double-digit kills in seven consecutive matches to close out the season, including a season-high 15 kills on a .313 attack percentage in a victory against NJIT.
George Mason was No. 15 in the national coaches poll and in third place in the EIVA at the time the season was canceled. In addition, the school was slated to play host to the 2020 NCAA Tournament.
The Patriots in 2021 will attempt to win the EIVA championship and return to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in five years.