NEWARK, NJ – Rutgers-Newark opens its quest for an EIVA Championship at George Mason on Saturday at 7 p.m. 

The Scarlet Raiders (13-12), winners of the EIVA Hay Division, face a Patriot squad that they swept during the regular season. Rutgers-Newark upended George Mason in the RAC, 3-2, on March 5 before sweeping the Patriots, 3-0, in The Golden Dome on April 3. 

The winner of the opening round contest advances to University Park, PA, on Thursday, April 29, to the semifinals. The championship match will be played at 7 p.m. on Saturday, May 1, at Penn State. The winner earns a berth in the NCAA Final Four hosted by Stanford. 

Under third-year head coach Karl France, the Scarlet Raiders have been the surprise of men's volleyball in the East with a shocking win over nationally-ranked Penn State on their resume and a strong finish following a 1-9 start to the season. 

Senior middle hitter Jon Keller, sophomore outside hitter Marcin Midura and junior setter Jeff Zornig lead the balanced team. 

After being demoted to the Hay Division from the Tait Division following the 2008 season, the Raiders have continually improved to make back-to-back EVIA Championship Tournament appearances. Last spring, they fell at Princeton in the opening round. 

Rutgers-Newark has played in five NCAA Final Fours, but the Raiders have not taken the EIVA crown to make the elite national tournament since 1990.