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Jonathan Bates | Associate Editor
Some of the best players in George Mason program history are concluding the decade with an additional college men’s volleyball honor.
Off the Block announced on Friday the seven players selected to the George Mason All-Decade Starting Lineup presented by Off the Block.
The All-Decade Starting Lineup recognizes the best players to compete with a team since 2010. Similar to the starting lineup for a match, the All-Decade honor is comprised of a setter, opposite and libero along with two outside attackers and middle attackers.
The Off the Block staff determined the All-Decade Starting Lineup using a variety of factors including career statistical performance and the team’s overall success when a player was a member of the program.
This is also part of a series from Off the Block to celebrate the end of the decade in college men’s volleyball. Off the Block throughout the rest of 2019 will release an All-Decade Starting Lineup for every NCAA Division I-II men’s volleyball team.
George Mason won the 2016 EIVA tournament and the 2018 EIVA regular-season title.
Off the Block is a national award-winning website that was established in 2011 and is the nation’s leader in college men’s volleyball.
George Mason All-Decade Starting Lineup presented by Off the Block
Setter: Brian Negron
Opposite: Hayden Wagner
Outside attacker: Michael Kvidahl
Outside attacker: Radoslav Popov
Middle attacker: Hunter Stevens
Middle attacker: Piotr Dabrowski
Libero: Johnny Gomez
Coming off the Bench: Jack Wilson, Mark Jones, Kyle Barnes
Brian Negron (2015-18)
Awards and honors: 2015 All-EIVA First-Team, 2015 EIVA Newcomer of the Year, 2016 EIVA All-Tournament Team, 2018 EIVA Player of the Year
Negron ranks second in program history (first during the rally-scoring era) with 3,684 career assists. He led the Patriots in assists all four seasons in Fairfax, highlighted by a 10.54 assists per game average during his sophomore year (No. 8 nationally). His 2.58 digs per game during his senior year ranked No. 8 nationally.
Hayden Wagner (2017-)
Awards and honors: 2018 All-EIVA First-Team, 2018 All-American Honorable Mention, 2019 All-EIVA First-Team, 2019 All-American Honorable Mention
Wagner led the team with 346 kills and 3.46 kills per game average in 2018, while also leading the team with 379 kills and a 4.26 kills per game average (No. 5 nationally) in 2019. During his three seasons, he has tallied 730 kills good for a 3.38 kills per game average.
Michael Kvidahl (2010-13)
Awards and honors: 2012 All-EIVA Tournament Team, 2012 All-EIVA First-Team, 2013 All-EIVA First-Team
Kvidahl led the Patriots in aces and aces per game in three of his four seasons in Fairfax, and ranks No. 3 in program history with 110 aces. His 0.60 aces per game in 2012 is tops during the rally-scoring era in George Mason program history. In a match at Princeton in March 2012, he set the program record with 10 aces in a single match. His 0.38 blocks per game in 2013 ranked No. 8 nationally. He finished his career with 840 kills good for a 3.194 kills per game average.
Radoslav Popov (2014-17)
Awards and honors: 2014 EIVA Newcomer of the Year, 2014 All-EIVA First-Team, 2014 EIVA All-Tournament Team. 2015 All-EIVA Second-Team, 2014 EIVA All-Tournament Team, 2016 All-EIVA Second-Team
During his freshman year, Popov led the team with 261 kills and a 3.03 kills per game average. He also led the team in attack percentage during his sophomore year. The Bulgarian native finished his collegiate career with 825 kills.
Hunter Stevens (2012-15)
Awards and honors: 2014 All-EIVA Second-Team
Stevens led the Patriots with a .375 attack percentage during his 2014 campaign. He also led the team with 128 blocks (1.29 blocks per game – No. 6 nationally) in 2014 and 91 blocks (0.95 blocks per game) in 2015. He finished his career with 345 blocks, good for a 1.071 blocks per game average. The Patriots ranked No. 4 nationally with 2.93 blocks per game.
Piotr Dabrowski (2010-13)
Awards and honors: 2012 All-EIVA Second-Team
Dabrowski’s 178 blocks in 2012 ranks No. 4 in program history for most blocks in a single season. He led ranked No. 4 nationally with 1.52 blocks per game in 2012 and led the Patriots with 1.21 blocks per game in 2013. He finished with his career with 383 total blocks good for a 1.248 blocks per game average. The 2011 George Mason team finished No. 2 in the nation with 2.96 blocks per game, and No. 7 with 2.83 blocks per game in 2012.
Johnny Gomez (2015-18)
Awards and honors: 2016 All-EIVA First-Team, 2016 All-American Honorable Mention, 2017 All-EIVA Second-Team, 2018 All-EIVA Second-Team
Gomez led the Patriots is digs and digs per game in each of his final three years in Fairfax, and had 721 total digs during that span. His 3.03 digs during his All-American campaign ranks as best in program history for most digs in a single season during the rally-scoring era, and was tops in the nation that year. His career 2.60 digs per game also ranks as best in program history during the rally-scoring era.