FIRST SERVE
Saint Louis (8-3) opens Atlantic 10 play on the road against George Mason (7-4). The Billikens face the Patriots on Friday, Sept. 26, at 5 p.m. and Saturday, Sept. 27, at noon.

FOLLOWING THE ACTION
Both matches will be streamed on ESPN+. Fans can also follow live stats here.

ABOUT THE BILLIKENS
The Billikens stayed perfect at home with three five-set wins over Missouri State, Kansas City and SEMO. The victories over the Roos and Redhawks came in reverse sweeps. Saint Louis is off to its best home start since 2007.

Ellie Rink was named Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Week after recording three consecutive double-doubles with 23 or more kills, making her the only player in the nation to post those numbers in back-to-back-to-back matches. Last week, she ranked fifth nationally in total kills, sixth in points and 12th in kills per set.

The Billikens rank second in the conference in opponent hitting percentage. Individually, Jetta Brenning is second in assists per set (10.13), while Kayla Jansen is third in hitting percentage (.353) and fifth in blocks per set (1.1).

ABOUT THE PATRIOTS
George Mason enters conference play at 7-4 after sweeping Rutgers. The Patriots were picked to finish eighth in the Atlantic 10 preseason poll. Freshmen outside hitters Kiera Hamilton and Nia Thompson have paced the offense, each recording more than 110 kills.

As a team, the Patriots lead the A-10 and rank 10th nationally in service aces. Autumn Martinez-Robertson leads the conference with 30 aces, which is fifth in the country.