MIVA Action on Deck for Men's Volleyball

Match Notes

FORT WAYNE, Ind. -- IPFW will play two more road games this week as they travel to Chicago, Ill. to face Loyola on Wednesday, Feb. 20 and then end the weekend with a tilt at No. 12 Lewis on Saturday, Feb. 23.

Opponent: Loyola Ramblers
When: Wednesday, Feb. 20 I 8 p.m.
Where: Chicago, Ill. I Gentile Arena
Radio: GoMastodons.com I Mike Maahs, Play-by-Play
Live Stats: LoyolaRamblers.com

Opponent: Lewis Flyers
When: Saturday, Feb. 23 I 8 p.m.
Where: Romeoville, Ill. I Neil Carey Arena
Live Stats: LewisFlyers.com

SCOUTING THE RAMBLERS

Loyola is 9-6 overall with a 2-1 mark in the MIVA. The team dropped their first three games of the season going up against three ranked opponents. The Ramblers followed that weekend by winning four-straight games before falling at Penn State and vs. George Mason.

The Ramblers most recently lost 3-1 to Lewis. The loss snapped a five-game winning streak. Loyola is 2-1 in conference play with wins over Quincy (3-1) and Lindenwood (3-0).

SCOUTING THE FLYERS

After a shaky start to the 2013 season, the Flyers have hit their stride by winning eight-straight. Lewis is ranked 12th in the most recent AVCA Coaches Poll with a 9-5 overall record which includes a perfect 5-0 mark in the MIVA.

The Flyers most recently defeated Loyola 3-1 on Feb. 16. They also recorded MIVA wins over Quincy (3-0), Lindenwood (3-0) and two over Grand Canyon (3-1, 3-2).

LAST TIME OUT
IPFW won the first set, but Ohio State responded by taking the next three as they went on to record a 3-1 win (31-29, 23-25, 18-25, 23-25). IPFW is now 5-4 overall and 2-2 in MIVA action.

Eddie Rivera recorded his second double-double of the week with 17 kills and 12 digs against Ohio State. He chipped in with three blocks, an assist and a service ace to fill up the box score.

Ramon Burgos and Andy Sellan each recorded 11 kills for the Mastodons. Omar Rivera was also an impact player for IPFW as he recorded a double-double with 49 assists and 12 digs.

Anthony Randolph and Bryan Saunders recorded seven kills on Friday night. Saunders added five blocks and Randolph made seven digs.

IPFW won the first set 31-29. Neither team could go on a scoring run as the game was close from start to finish. With the score tied at 25-25 it was IPFW who applied the pressure with a Sunders kill pushing Ohio State to set point. The Buckeyes held strong and held off the IPFW attack until back-to-back OSU attack errors ended the set.

The Mastodons nearly took a 2-0 lead in the match but a late Ohio State comeback in set two evened the playing field. IPFW led 18-14 after a Buckeye error, but a scoring run from OSU tied the game at 22-22. Nick Gibson gave Ohio State the lead and Lutz won the game 25-23.

Ohio State jumped out to a 16-9 lead in the third set. The lead stayed at roughly seven for the remainder of the set giving Ohio State a 2-1 edge. Ohio State held the lead in the fourth and final set, but IPFW put up a fight as the match ended on a 25-23 score. IPFW fought back to tie the game at 21-21. Attack error's hurt the Mastodons down the stretch as IPFW eventually would fall at Ohio State.

TOUGH COMPETITION
Two MIVA opponents appear in the most recent AVCA Coaches Poll, with a third also receiving votes. In all, IPFW faces off against four teams currently in the top-15 of the Coaches Poll (Long Beach State/3rd, Ohio State/6th, Penn State/T-9th, and Lewis/12th).

ALL-TIME SERIES
Loyola leads the all-time series over IPFW 21-19. The series was tied 19-19 heading into the last weekend of the 2012 season. Loyola won the regular season finale at the Gates Sports Center 3-1, and then defeated the Mastodons in the MIVA Tournament 3-1.

Lewis leads the all-time series over IPFW 25-22. The last contest between the Flyers and the Mastodons was played last year in Romeoville, Ill. Lewis recorded a 3-0 win.

KILLER INSTINCT

Eddie Rivera and Andy Sellan lead the team in kills. Rivera ranks sixth overall in the MIVA and 25th in the country averaging 3.23 kills per set. He is also sixth in points (3.83). Freshman Andy Sellan is also ranked in each category as he is ninth in kills (2.90) and 10th in points (3.48).

TEAM NATIONAL RANKINGS

IPFW ranks 11th in both assists per set (11.75) and kills per set (12.53), 12th in digs per set (9.47), 20th in both aces per set (1.11) and blocks per set (2.31), and 26th in hitting percentage (.223).

TOP TEN HITTERS

Bryan Saunders and Ramon Burgos both post high hitting percentages as each student-athlete is listed in the MIVA top ten in that category. Saunders is sixth in the conference and eighth in the nation with a percentage of .345. Burgos is tenth on the list and 24th in the nation with a pecentage of .297.

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.

~ Feel the Rumble ~

Purdue University Fort Wayne Athletics

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