Mastodons Kick off 2015 Season with UCSB Invitational

FORT WAYNE, Ind. - IPFW men's volleyball kicks off the 2015 season with challenging matches against three Top-15 teams in the UC Santa Barbara Invitational at Rob Gym. The Mastodons begin the invitational against No. 13 Cal State Northridge at 1 p.m., on January 9, followed by a match against No. 5 UCLA later that night at 10 p.m. The 'Dons wrap up the invitational on January 10 against the fourth-ranked host Gauchos at 9:30 p.m.

GAMEDAY INFORMATION VS. CAL STATE NORTHRIDGE

Date: Friday, January 9, 2015 | 1 p.m.
Location: Santa Barbara, Calif. | Rob Gym (4,000)
Series History: Cal State Northridge leads 9-1
Last Meeting: IPFW 1, Cal State Northridge 3 | January 21, 2006 | Fort Wayne, Ind.

SCOUTING THE MASTODONS
IPFW kicks off the 2015 campaign, bringing a 21-13 all-time record in opening day matches. The Mastodons began last season on January 4 with a 3-1 win over No. 15 Cal Baptist in the UCSB Invitational. The 'Dons are 8-6 when opening the season outside of Fort Wayne.

IPFW returns its top scorer, American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Honorable Mention, Andrew Sellan, along with last year's leaders in assists, Omar Rivera, digs, Luis Bertran, and blocks, Ramon Burgos. The 'Dons finished last season with a 21-7 overall record before falling in the Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association (MIVA) semifinals against eventual NCAA champion Loyola-Chicago.

Based on the AVCA Preseason Top-15 Poll, IPFW is set to play 13 matches with teams either ranked or receiving votes in 2015, including five matches against a preseason top-five team.

IPFW head coach Arnie Ball enters his final season prior to retirement at the end of the year. Ball has led the team every season since the men's volleyball program started in 1981. Ball has recorded a 552-409 overall record entering 2015, while earning five MIVA Tournament titles (1991, 1992, 1999, 2006, and 2007). Ball's illustrious tenure with IPFW was highlighted with the 2007 AVCA, ASICS, and MIVA Coach of the Year Awards after leading the 'Dons to a NCAA championship match appearance. Ball was inducted into the AVCA Hall of Fame in 2012.

SCOUTING THE MATADORS

Cal State Northridge opens the season with IPFW, following a 10-17 campaign in 2014. The Matadors were picked to finish eighth in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) in the Preseason Coaches Poll. CSUN finished 10th in the MPSF last year after a 9-15 record in league play.

Cal State Northridge returns its top two scoring duo in Sam Holt and Travis Magorien. Holt paced the Matadors with 319 kills and 21 aces, while Magorien earned 929 assists last season.

Greg Faulkner and Bradley Sakaida return to CSUN to help the matadors defensively. Faulkner led Cal State Northridge with 92 blocks, while Sakaida paced the matadors with 185 digs.

ALL-TIME SERIES VS. CAL STATE NORTHRIDGE

Cal State Northridge leads the all-time series with the Mastodons by a 9-1 margin, including the previous eight meetings. The 'Dons and Matadors met twice in 2006, with CSUN winning both matches in Fort Wayne. The Mastodons were unable to complete the comeback in the first meeting of '06, falling in five sets on January 20. The following day the Matadors completed the two-match sweep, topping the 'Dons 3-1. The Mastodon's only win in the series came in a five set fashion in 1989 in Northridge, California. After going up two sets to one, IPFW was able to hold on with a 15-7 fifth-set-win over then No. 12 CSUN.

GAMEDAY INFORMATION VS. UCLA

Date: Friday, January 9, 2015 | 10 p.m.
Location: Santa Barbara, Calif. | Rob Gym (4,000)
Series History: UCLA leads 5-0
Last Meeting: IPFW 0, UCLA 3 | May 4, 2006 | University Park, Pa.

SCOUTING THE BRUINS

UCLA enters the invitational ranked fifth nationally and picked to finish fourth in the MPSF Preseason Coaches Poll. The Bruins finished 2014 18-11, with a 15-9 mark in league play, before falling 3-2 in the MPSF quarterfinals against UC Santa Barbara.

The Bruins look to replace their top three offensive scorers as Gonzalo Quiroga, Robart Page, and Spencer Rowe all graduated. Quiroga led the Bruins with 411 kills, while Page and Rowe followed with 379 and 210 kills, respectively.

Jackson Bantle returns for his sophomore season after finishing second on the team with 137 digs. Trent Kersten looks to defend the net once again after gaining 85 total blocks in 2014, finishing second for the Bruins.

ALL-TIME SERIES VS. UCLA

The Mastodons have yet to earn a win over west coast powerhouse UCLA, as the Bruins hold a 5-0 lead in the all-time series. UCLA swept the 'Dons, 3-0, in their previous meeting on May 4, 2006 in University Park, Pennsylvania. Of all the matches in the series, none was bigger than the 1994 matchup in the Final Four, held in Fort Wayne. Once again, the Bruins earned a 3-0 victory over IPFW, but eventually fell to Penn State in the championship match.

GAMEDAY INFORMATION VS. UC SANTA BARBARA

Date: Friday, January 10, 2015 | 9:30 p.m.
Location: Santa Barbara, Calif. | Rob Gym (4,000)
Live Stats: UCSB Live Stats
Series History: UC Santa Barbara leads 17-3
Last Meeting: IPFW 0, UC Santa Barbara 3 | March 18, 2005 | Long Beach, Calif.

SCOUTING THE GAUCHOS

UC Santa Barbara was picked second in the MPSF Preseason Coaches Poll, after finishing with an 18-9 record in 2014. The Gauchos placed fourth in the MPSF after a 16-8 record in league play, while their season came to an end in the MPSF Tournament semifinals at the hands of BYU.

UCSB looks to find replacements for their 2014 leading scorers, Evan Licht and Matt Hanley. Licht paced the Gauchos with 318 kills and 41 aces, while also earning 177 digs. Hanley finished with 278 kills last season.

Jonah Seif and Jake Staahl return to UCSB after leading the Gauchos with 106 and 100 total blocks, respectively. Seif also earned 1,109 of UC Santa Barbara's 1,261 assists last year.

ALL-TIME SERIES VS. UC SANTA BARBARA

UCSB holds a 17-2 lead over the Mastodons in the all-time series, including a win in their previous matchup. The Gauchos earned a 3-0 win over the 'Dons in their last meeting on March 3, 2007 to complete a two-match sweep in Fort Wayne. The last IPFW win over UC Santa Barbara was January 19, 2003, when the 'Dons completed a 3-0 sweep. IPFW's only win over UCSB in California was February 14, 1992, as the Blue and White topped the Gauchos 3-0.

QUICK HITTERS

•    IPFW returns to the UC Santa Barbara Invitational for the second-consecutive year; the 'Dons beat No. 15 Cal Baptist 3-1 in the 2014 invitational.
•    The Mastodons were voted No. 15 in the AVCA Preseason Top-15 Poll.
•    Andrew Sellan and Omar Rivera were each honored with Preseason MIVA All-Conference selections.
•    IPFW is 2-8 all-time in Santa Barbara, California, with wins over Cal Baptist (1/4/14) and UC Santa Barbara (2/14/92).
•    The Mastodons will play 13 matches with teams which were ranked or received votes in the AVCA Preseason Top-15 Poll, including two matches against defending NCAA champion Loyola-Chicago.
•    IPFW is 1-9 against Cal State Northridge, 0-5 against UCLA, and 2-17 against UC Santa Barbara all-time.
•    The Mastodon's only wins over UC Santa Barbara were both 3-0 sweeps on January 19, 2003 in Fort Wayne, and February 14, 1992 in Santa Barbara.
•    IPFW and UCLA met in the 1994 Final Four when the Bruins swept the 'Dons to earn a berth in the NCAA championship match.
•    Mastodon head coach Arnie Ball is in his final season wearing Blue and White before entering retirement. Ball has the third-most wins (552) among active coaches and the fifth-most overall. Ball was inducted into the AVCA Hall of Fame in 2012.

~ Feel the Rumble ~

Mastodons Kick off 2015 Season with UCSB Invitational

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Luis Bertran

Ramon Burgos

Omar Rivera

Andrew Sellan

Purdue University Fort Wayne Athletics

Mastodons Kick off 2015 Season with UCSB Invitational

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Luis Bertran

Ramon Burgos

Omar Rivera

Andrew Sellan

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