CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Harvard Men's Volleyball is set to face George Mason on Wednesday night at the EIVA Tournament in University Park, Pennsylvania. The fifth-seeded Crimson and the fourth-seeded Patriots will share the court for the third time in six days at 7 p.m. ET.

What to Know

• Harvard will begin its quest for a second EIVA championship on Wednesday against a George Mason team (12-14; 4-6 EIVA) that it faced last Friday and Saturday at Malkin Athletic Center. The Crimson dropped both outings, 3-0 and 3-1, to finish the regular season at 9-15 (2-8 EIVA).
• The 2018 EIVA champions are playing on Wednesday night for the right to face the 2023 regular-season champs, Penn State. The top-seeded Nittany Lions, who are hosting the tournament, will play take on the Harvard/George Mason winner on Thursday at 7 p.m. ET.
• Despite the outcomes of last week, Harvard was a play or two away from flipping the script against the Patriots. In its 3-0 defeat, the Crimson was on the short end of narrow 22-25, 21-25, 20-25 margins. A day later in the finale, outside of a 25-15 George Mason victory in the first set, Harvard, which grabbed the second 25-23, fell a couple of sideouts shy in the third and fourth frames (19-25, 23-25) from capturing a win.
• Ryan Hong led the Crimson in its two matches vs. George Mason, totaling a team-high 13 kills, while hitting .400, and tying Alessio Pignatelli for the Harvard lead with eight digs. In the first outing vs. the Patriots, Hong recorded a team-high-tying seven kills and a match-best six digs. Then in the second contest, the senior shared team-high honors with two total blocks.
• Azim Raheem was impressive in limited action against George Mason. The sophomore finished with 11 kills, three service aces, six digs and two total blocks. Raheem tallied three kills, an ace and two digs in one set of action in Friday's contest vs. the Patriots. Then in the second match, the opposite hitter led the Crimson with eight kills and a pair of aces (season high), while tallying a season-best four digs.
• Harvard is 2-1 in its last two appearances at the EIVA Tournament, winning the title in 2018, before falling to NJIT in the 2022 semifinals. Back in 2018, the Crimson defeated Penn State and Princeton to earn a berth to the NCAA Tournament.
• Harvard is facing George Mason at the EIVA Tournament for the fifth time, but is just 1-3 against the Patriots in a bracket setting, with the victory occurring in 2013 (W, 3-2). Harvard is 15-20 all-time vs. George Mason.

Up Next

If Harvard defeats George Mason, the Crimson will face the hosts of the tournament, Penn State, on Thursday night at 7 p.m. ET. A Harvard loss to the Patriots ends the Crimson's 2023 campaign.