Mastodons Ready to Serve Up 2016 Season

FORT WAYNE, Ind. - For the first time ever, the IPFW men's volleyball program will take the court without Arnie Ball at the reigns. First-year head coach Ryan "Rock" Perrotte and the 2016 Mastodons open their season on January 8, when the Blue and White face first-year program Alderson Broaddus. The 'Dons wrap-up the opening weekend with a Saturday showdown against the 13^th-ranked Stanford Cardinal. Both matches will be held at Arnie Ball court at 7 p.m.

Gameday Information vs. Alderson Broaddus

When: Friday, January 8 | 7 p.m.
Where: Fort Wayne, Ind. | Arnie Ball Court (2,500)
Live Stats: IPFW Sidearm Live Stats
Live Video: IPFW Sidearm Video Stream (subscription required)
Series History: First Meeting
Last Meeting: First Meeting

Gameday Information vs. Stanford

When: Saturday, January 9 | 7 p.m.
Where: Fort Wayne, Ind. | Arnie Ball Court (2,500)
Live Stats: IPFW Sidearm Live Stats
Live Video: IPFW Sidearm Video Stream (subscription required)
Series History: IPFW leads 3-2
Last Meeting: IPFW 3, Stanford 0 | Jan. 27, 2007 | Fort Wayne, Ind.

Season Openers...

IPFW is 22-13 all-time in season-openers, and is currently riding a two-match winning streak. During that run, the Mastodons have defeated 15th-ranked Cal Baptist (2014) and 13th-ranked Cal State Northridge (2015). The last time IPFW lost a season-opener was on Jan. 11, 2013, when the 'Dons fell to Saint Francis (Pa.) 3-1 in Fort Wayne, while the last home season-opener win came against NJIT, 3-0, on Jan. 8, 2010.

Dating back to 2000, IPFW has gone 11-5, including the current stretch of winning eight of the previous 10 season-openers. Dating back to 1983, IPFW is 12-7 in home season-openers, while 10-4 when opening the season outside of Fort Wayne.

Home Sweet Home...

IPFW has earned 18-consecutive home wins over non-conference opponents. The last non-league match which the 'Dons lost was against Saint Francis (Pa.), 3-1, on Jan. 11, 2013. During the stretch, the Blue and White have faced off against 10th-ranked Penn State twice, winning the first match 3-2 on March 9, 2013 and taking the second match 3-1 last year on Jan. 17. The last non-conference home loss for IPFW was against ninth-ranked Penn State, 3-2, on April 16, 2011.

Diggin' Up History...

Senior libero Luis Bertran 123 digs shy of tying the IPFW career mark for most digs, set by Jay Golsteyn (1986-89). Bertran currently sits sixth with 693 career digs, while Golsteyn earned 816 during his collegiate career.

IPFW Career Digs Leaders
Rk Digs Name (Sets Played) Years Played
1. 816 Jay Golsteyn (392) 1986-89
2. 778 Tony Luhning (401) 1988-91
3. 771 Lloy Ball (436) 1991-94
4. 747 Raul Papaleo (448) 1990-93
5. 707 Eddie Rivera (385) 2011-14
6. 693 Luis Bertran (289) 2013-Pres.
7. 674 Matt Zbyszewski (377) 2001-05
8. 647 Norman Almodovar (392) 1991-94
9. 626 Tom Juhnke (421) 1989-92
10. 624 Hector Soto (337) 1997-00

Starting Strong...

The Mastodons have gone 3-2 in their last five matches against ranked opponents during opening weekend with wins over No. 8 Penn State (2007), No. 15 Cal Baptist (2014), No. 13 Cal State Northridge (2015).

The two losses during the stretch came at No. 10 Ohio State, 3-2, on Jan. 11, 2008 and at UC Santa Barbara, 3-1, last year (Jan. 10). The Mastodons are 8-9 all-time against ranked opponents during the opening weekend of the season.

Lucky Number 13...

The Blue and White are 24-20 all-time against the 13th-ranked team in the nation. The 'Dons won the last two meetings against the 13th-ranked teams, topping both Ball State (Feb. 5 in Muncie, Ind.) and Cal State Northridge (Jan. 9 in Santa Barbara, Calif.) in five set matches last season. The longest IPFW winning-streak against the 13th-ranked team is 12 matches, dating from Feb. 2 1989-April 11, 1992.

A Tall Task Ahead...

The 2016 campaign will have the Mastodons face seven teams which were in the AVCA Preseason Top-15 Poll, including last year's NCAA Champion and runner-up. IPFW will play 11 total matches against preseason ranked opponents, as Loyola-Chicago (#3), Ohio State (#6), Lewis (#8), and Ball State (#14) all come from the MIVA. Loyola-Chicago has won the last two NCAA Championships, while Lewis was last season's runner-up.

The non-MIVA preseason ranked teams the 'Dons will face include Penn State (#10), Stanford (#13), and George Mason (#15). IPFW received four votes in the preseason rankings.

Looking for 1,000...

The IPFW men's volleyball program will play in its 1,000th match when the Mastodons travel to McKendree on Feb. 6. IPFW will become just the third MIVA program and fifth outside of California to reach the 1,000 match plateau. Additionally, the 'Dons will become the 12th overall program to play in 1,000 matches.

Programs to Play 1,000 Matches*
Rk Matches School Record (Pct.)
1. 1,616 UCLA 1,291-326 (.798)
2. 1,594 Ball State 1,123-463-8 (.707)
3. 1,438 Ohio State 1,013-422-3 (.705)
4. 1,289 USC 792-497 (.614)
5. 1,251 George Mason 723-517-11 (.582)
6. 1,231 UC Santa Barbara 788-434-9 (.644)
7. 1,223 Long Beach State 762-461 (.623)
8. 1,185 Penn State 865-280-9 (.753)
9. 1,120 Cal State Northridge 593-527 (.530)
10. 1,107 Stanford 628-477-2 (.568)
11. 1,103 Pepperdine 752-351 (.688)**

* Matches played based on available history as of Jan. 1, 2016
** Does not reflect NCAA vacated matches

~ Feel the Rumble ~

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Players Mentioned

Luis Bertran

Purdue University Fort Wayne Athletics