Friday, January 11
Fort Wayne, Ind.
7 p.m.
Purdue Fort Wayne
vs
St. Francis
Photo by: Lucas Carter
IPFW to Host Saint Francis and Cardinal Stritch on Opening Weekend
1/10/2013 10:15:00 AM | Men's Volleyball
Match Notes I Live Stats I Listen I Watch
FORT WAYNE, Ind. -- The IPFW men's volleyball team will kick off the 2013 season with a pair of home matches at the Gates Sports Center. The Mastodons will face Saint Francis on Friday, Jan. 11 and end the weekend with a match vs. Cardinal Stritch on Saturday night. Each match will begin at 7 p.m.
A LOOK AT THE MASTODONS
IPFW has a young nucleus of student-athletes on the 2013 roster, as the 'Dons only have two active seniors on the team. Rob Samp and Anthony Randolph will provide the team with leadership, but expect plenty of players to make an impact throughout this season.
Eddie Rivera returns to the team after recording 240 kills and 187 digs a year ago. The junior was recognized by his peers as he earned Preseason All-Conference accolades. JW Kieckhefer, Ramon Burgos, and Omar Rivera will also see plenty of playing time this season after solid contributions to the team in 2012.
Kieckhefer recorded 278 digs last season as a sophomore, a number that led the team. Omar Rivera was in charge of setting up the offense as he led the team with 874 assists, and Burgos impacted the game on multiple levels recording 60 blocks defensively, but by also posting an attack percentage of .440.
SCOUTING THE FLASH
St. Francis is 0-1 this season after falling 3-0 at Ohio State on Jan. 5 (17-25, 22-25, 16-25). The Flash never led in the opening set, but set two featured 16 ties and five lead changes before the Buckeyes pulled out a 25-22 win. Saint Francis took a commanding 5-1 lead in the third set, but allowed runs of 5-0 and 6-0 later in the set and could not come back.
Logan Patterson led the way offensively for SFU with 11 kills and a .304 hitting percentage. Adam Roche added six kills. Mike Krepp recorded 25 assists in the match to go along with a team-high six digs.
Logan Patterson led the way offensively for SFU with 11 kills and a .304 hitting percentage. Adam Roche added six kills. Mike Krepp recorded 25 assists in the match to go along with a team-high six digs.
SCOUTING THE WOLVES
Cardinal Stritch has selected a head coach as Natalie Wildes officially takes over the reins of the men's volleyball team after serving as an interim head coach during the 2012 season. The Wolves posted a 20-14 overall record a year ago including a 9-3 mark in conference play.
Cardinal Stritch only has eight student-athletes on the roster. Four players, including three freshmen are part of the program, but they do not have numbers assigned to them. The players that will take the court on Saturday night consist of six juniors and a pair of seniors.
The Wolves return their top outside hitter for the 2013 season as Adam Cosson comes back for his senior season. Cosson recorded 385 kills a year ago and hit at a .242 clip. Alo Tauaese, the team's assist leader, is also back after recording 767 assists a year ago.
Cardinal Stritch only has eight student-athletes on the roster. Four players, including three freshmen are part of the program, but they do not have numbers assigned to them. The players that will take the court on Saturday night consist of six juniors and a pair of seniors.
The Wolves return their top outside hitter for the 2013 season as Adam Cosson comes back for his senior season. Cosson recorded 385 kills a year ago and hit at a .242 clip. Alo Tauaese, the team's assist leader, is also back after recording 767 assists a year ago.
ALL-TIME SERIES
IPFW leads the all-time series over St. Francis (Pa.) 8-3. The 'Dons swept St. Francis last year defeating the Flash 3-2 on the road and 3-1 at the Gates Sports Center.
IPFW leads the all-time series over Cardinal Stritch 3-0. The Mastodons defeated the Wolves 3-0 last season.
IPFW leads the all-time series over Cardinal Stritch 3-0. The Mastodons defeated the Wolves 3-0 last season.
MIVA VOLLEYBALL
To follow all the action in the Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association (MIVA) visit the website at www.mivavolleyball.com. You can also find MIVA on Facebook at MIVAVolleyball and on Twitter @MIVAVolleyball.
2013 MIVA PRESEASON COACHES POLL
IPFW was picked sixth in the 2013 MIVA Preseason Coaches Poll. The Mastodons totaled 28 points, one behind Ball State for fifth, and seven from fourth-place Grand Canyon. Lewis was picked to finish first with 62 points and six first-place votes, while Loyola (54, one first place vote), and Ohio State (52, one first place vote) finished in a close race for second place. Conference newcomer Lindenwood (20) and Quincy (8) rounded out the eight teams in the conference.
2013 MIVA PRESEASON ALL-CONFERENCE SELECTION
IPFW junior Eddie Rivera was named to the Preseason All-League team. Rivera had 240 kills and a .230 attack percentage to go with 187 digs, most for a non-libero on the team, while adding 39 blocks and 26 aces during the 2012 season.
TOUGH COMPETITION
Three MIVA teams appeared in the 2013 AVCA Preseason Coaches Poll. Lewis was picked fifth after finishing the 2012 season with a 26-7 record. Joining the Flyers on the poll was Loyola and Ohio State. Loyola was 19-12 last year, Ohio State was 21-9.
AVCA HALL OF FAME
The American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) announced that IPFW head men's volleyball coach Arnie Ball has been selected as a member of the 10th class of the AVCA Hall of Fame.
The AVCA annual recognizes individuals who have reached the pinnacle of their profession and the sport, with the AVCA Hall of Fame. This, the 10th annual AVCA Hall of Fame class features Bill Neville, Carol Ruso, and Rudy Suwara, in addition to Ball.
The four were inducted into the Hall of Fame on Dec. 13, 2012 at the Jostens Coaches Honors Luncheon, held in conjunction with the 2012 AVCA Annual Convention in Louisville, Kentucky.
The AVCA annual recognizes individuals who have reached the pinnacle of their profession and the sport, with the AVCA Hall of Fame. This, the 10th annual AVCA Hall of Fame class features Bill Neville, Carol Ruso, and Rudy Suwara, in addition to Ball.
The four were inducted into the Hall of Fame on Dec. 13, 2012 at the Jostens Coaches Honors Luncheon, held in conjunction with the 2012 AVCA Annual Convention in Louisville, Kentucky.
MARCH MADNESS
The IPFW men's volleyball team faces off against half of the teams in last season's NCAA Final Four, highlighted by a March 9 match in the Gates Center that starts back up the heated Penn State / IPFW rivalry.
HOME SWEET HOME
The 'Dons close the year by hosting six of the last eight matches. On Thursday, March 21 the squad hosts in-state rival Ball State, before playing host to Ohio State two days later. Pfeiffer and Limestone each make a trip to Fort Wayne on March 29 and 30, respectively, before IPFW takes its final road trip to face Lindenwood on April 5 and Quincy on April 6. The team returns home to host Loyola on April 10, before hosting Lewis - last season's MIVA Tournament Champion - on April 13.
UP NEXT
The Mastodons will travel East for a pair of games next weekend with matches scheduled at Sacred Heart and at NJIT.
~ Feel the Rumble ~
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