CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The Queens University of Charlotte men's volleyball team kicked off its 2019 season on Friday night, hosting George Mason University inside Curry Arena. The Patriots, the reigning EIVA Regular Season Champions, escaped the Queen City with a 3-0 (25-16, 25-12, 25-11) win over the Royals.
 
Queens and George Mason were tied at 8-all in the early going of set one before the Patriots used a 5-0 run to build an advantage. The lead quickly grew to 19-11 before back-to-back Mason attack errors put Queens within striking distance. Three unanswered points ended the set with the Patriots ahead.
 
The second set was once again close in the early going as the Royals held a 7-6 lead following a double block from sophomores Josh Bragg and Cody Nix. However, a 13-1 run for George Mason put the team in front by double digits as the Patriots went ahead 2-0 in the match.
 
In the third, Mason was in control early, leading to the three-set sweep. Redshirt-senior Langston Payne led all players with nine kills and hit .818 in the match to go along with three total blocks. As a team, the Patriots hit .260 in the match and tallied 10 total blocks.
 
Sophomore Nic Cavallaro registered a team-high four kills, while fellow sophomore Tristan Santoyo had seven digs. Nix finished the night with a career-high four total blocks in the middle and senior transfer Alexander Schinzing totaled seven assists and four digs in his first action in the Navy and Gold.
 
Queens returns to the court next Wednesday, January 9, when the team hosts North Greenville University at 7 p.m.