Saturday was gameday at Mason, and pre-game festivities were in full Mardi Gras swing outside the Patriot Center. Armed with a camera and mic, C2M/MCN Video Adviser David Miller and C2M Executive Editor Kevin Loker prowled the homecoming parade and block party.

They snagged some big interviews, including President Alan Merten, a grade-school Patriots fan, and the Cookie Monster.

Click to above to see the 'craziness.'

The men’s volleyball team started off a long weekend with a loss against the No. 15 Lewis Flyers in a non-conference match. Mason fell short in three sets (21-30, 21-30, 28-30). Lewis improved its record to 8-2 while the Patriots dropped to 3-4 overall and 1-1 in conference matches. After beating the Saint Francis Red Flash in four sets (30-23, 24-30, 30-26, 30-25) and falling to the Juniata Eagles in three close sets (30-28, 32-30, 30-28) on the road, the Patriots could not pull off the victory against the Flyers.

As I was sitting in my hotel room in Baltimore, Md., I watched the Old Dominion Monarchs get dismantled by the Northern Iowa Panthers in the opening game of the ESPN BracketBusters event. I watched the William & Mary Tribe fall to the Iona Gaels. I watched the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs beat the Northeastern Huskies at Northeastern University. I finally watched the George Mason Patriots lose to the College of Charleston Cougars on homecoming night.