Saturday, February 18
Muncie, Ind.
7:30 PM
Purdue Fort Wayne
at
Ball State
Photo by: Lucas Carter
IPFW Faces Big Weekend Against #10 Ohio State, #14 Loyola on Senior Day
4/12/2012 11:51:00 AM | Men's Volleyball
GAMES NOTES
FORT WAYNE, Ind. - A week after ousting Ball State in four sets, the IPFW men's volleyball team will take on two familiar and nationally-ranked opponents this weekend, starting with a road contest at #10 Ohio State on Fri. April 13. The Mastodons will celebrate Senior Day the following evening, when #14 Loyola enters the Gates Sports Center. Both matches kick-off at 7:00 p.m. EST.
LAST TIMEOUT
Eddie Rivera tagged a game-high 15 kills, while Adam Quinn dished 48 assists, as the IPFW men's volleyball team ousted in-state rival Ball State 3-1 on April 7 at the Gates Sports Center in Fort Wayne, Ind. IPFW snapped an 11-match losing streak to Ball State with the win. Since embarking a six-match losing streak, the Mastodons have bounced back with three-straight wins.
BACK FOR MORE
The IPFW Mastodons return to the court for a 32nd season, all under the direction of legendary head coach Arnie Ball. In 2012, IPFW welcomes back five starters from last season's squad that finished 16-12 overall and 5-7 in the MIVA, resulting in a fift h place fi nish in the conference standings. On offense, outside hitters senior Ivan Matos, junior Elon Fyfield, redshirt-junior Phil Peterson and sophomore Eddie Rivera will lead the 'Don attack, as each is capable of accumulating double-digit game kill totals. Middle hitters senior Corey Frain and junior Rob Samp, along with liberos senior Jonathan Meyer and sophomore JW Kieckhefer will anchor the Mastodon defense. Freshman Omar Rivera will see his first action at the setter position. IPFW was picked sixth in the 2012 Preseason MIVA Coaches Poll.
SCOUTING OHIO STATE
Ranked #10 in this week's AVCA Coaches Poll, the Ohio State Buckeyes enter this weekend having won their last fi ve matches, including triumphs over MIVA opponents Loyola, Lewis and Grand Canyon. At 16-8 overall and 8-4 in conference play, the Buckeyes lost a boatload of experience from last season's National Champion squad, but return key contributors in Shawn Sangrey and Mik Berzins. Sangrey, who has won MIVA player of the week honors five times in 2012, averages 4.85 kills and 1.78 digs per set, while Berzins produces 2.45 kills a frame. A balanced unit, the Buckeyes rank third against conference teams in digs (9.62) and hitting-percentage (2.70). Head coach Peter Hansen is his 27 year at Ohio State.
SCOUTING LOYOLA
Led by head coach Shane Davis, 2012 MIVA preseason-favorite Loyola sits at 17-14 overall and 7-4 in conference play. Winner's of seven of their last eight matches, the Ramblers pose a strong offensive frontline, guided by redshirt-sophomore Joe Smalzer. Smalzer has tagged a team-best 312 kills, along with a conference-high 43 service aces. He is joined on the outside by senior Mike Bunting (266 K) and freshman Cody Caldwell (200 K). Senior Matt Mirick has totaled 1,016 assists is in his first year at the setter spot, while Peter Jasaitis leads the squad with 245 digs. Loyola is currently ranked 14th in the latest AVCA Coaches Poll. Once a former standout setter for the Ramblers (2000-03), Davis is now in his ninth season at the helm.
MASTODONS VS. BUCKEYES/RAMBLERS
Already a combined 1-1 against Ohio State (L, 3-1) and Loyola (W, 3-2) this season, IPFW looks to make it 3-1 aft er this weekend, as the 'Dons travel to Columbus on April 13 and return home for the Ramblers the following evening. Th e Buckeyes own a 64-33 all-time series advantage over the Mastodons. Loyola and IPFW are knotted at 19-19 in 38 total meetings.
SENIOR FAREWELL
A total of eight seniors will compete in their final regular-season home match at the Gates Sports Center this Saturday against Loyola. Dan Mader, Adam Quinn, Ivan Matos, Corey Frain, Patrick Pinto, J.J. Meyer, Phil Peterson and team manager Jeremy Thornburg will wear the 'Don uniform on Senior Day against Loyola, which kicks off with a pre-game ceremony before first serve.
STACKING UP AGAINST THE COUNTRY
While the IPFW defense continues to improve each week, a boatload of 'Dons have kept the off ense cruising throughout the season. IPFW has four players listed among the nation's best in digs, aces, kills and hitting percentage, starting with JW Kieckhefer. The Redshirt-sophomore ranks sixth nationally with 2.51 digs pet set, while Omar Rivera is 16th in assists (10.12), Ivan Matos sits 10th in kills per game (3.8) and Eddie Rivera stands 19th in service aces (.30). As a team, the Mastodons rank sixth in the country in three categories: assists (12.34), digs (9.49) and kills (13.07).
WHAT'S NEXT?
IPFW wraps up the 2012 regular season this weekend against Ohio State and Loyola, then prepares for the MIVA Tournament on April 21. The Mastodons currently sit tied with Grand Canyon for fourth place in the conference standings, which ensures a team will host a postseason contest. The Antelopes own the tie-breaker after sweeping the Mastodons earlier this season. However, if the Lopes suffer losses this weekend (two games at Lewis), and IPFW picks up a win, the 'Dons will be in good shape to secure the four spot and earn a tournament home game.
TEAM NOTES
On March 26, 2011, Arnie Ball earned career win No. 500 against Carthage at the Gates Sports Center. In 32 seasons, Ball has amassed a 517-383 overall record, while guiding IPFW to six NCAA Final Four appearances and six MIVA titles...The Mastodon roster is made up of 26 players, including six seniors, four juniors, six sophomores and 10 freshmen. By state, territory, and country, six players are from Illinois, Puerto Rico (4), New York (3), Ohio (2), Tennessee (2), Pennsylvania (1), Colorado (1), Massachusetts, California (1), Rhode Island (1), Wisconsin (1), Brazil (1) and Jamaica (1).
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