Purdue Fort Wayne
Ball State
Fort Wayne Set for Rematch with No. 11 Ball State
2/9/2017 11:01:00 AM | Men's Volleyball
FORT WAYNE, Ind. - The Fort Wayne men's volleyball team is set for a rematch with the No. 11 Ball State Cardinals on Friday (Feb. 10) on Arnie Ball Court. This match will also include the announcement of the induction of the 2007 men's volleyball team into the Fort Wayne Athletics Hall of Fame, as well as Raul Papaleo's jersey retirement.
GAMEDAY INFORMATION
When: Friday, February 10 | 7 p.m.
Where: Fort Wayne, Ind. | Arnie Ball Court (1500)
Live Stats: Fort Wayne Live Stats
Live Video: Fort Wayne All-Access Video
Live Audio: Live Audio
Play-by-play: Mike Maahs
Series History: Ball State leads 69-29
Last Meeting: February 7, 2017 | Fort Wayne 1, Ball State 3 (25-14, 25-20, 25-21) | Muncie, Ind.
Scouting the Mastodons
Coach: Ryan "Rock" Perrotte | Second Season (14-29)
Kills: 552 | Pelegrin Vargas (154)
Assists: 521 | Michael Keegan (418)
Digs: 376 | Michael Keegan (69)
Blocks: 85.0 | Graydon Schroeder (36.0)
Aces: 44 | Colton Stone (14)
Attack %: .220 | Graydon Schroeder (.390)
Fort Wayne comes into the second straight matchup with Ball State with a 4-10 record, 1-2 in the MIVA. The Mastodons took down McKendree in five sets, the best hitting night of the season, when they recorded a .380 percentage (63-17-121). The 'Dons are coming off a straight set loss to the Ball State Cardinals.
Scouting the Cardinals
Coach: Joel Walton
Kills: 569 | Matt Szews (149)
Assists: 520 | Connor Gross (452)
Digs: 398 | Connor Gross (75)
Blocks: 113.0 | Matt Walsh (48.0)
Aces: 47 | Matt Szews (16)
Attack %: .316 | Matt Walsh (.528)
Ball State enters its second matchup with Fort Wayne with a 10-2 record, only having fallen to No. 6 Hawaii and No. 1 Ohio State. The Cardinals hold victories over seven opponents that the Mastodons have also faced. Saint Francis, No. 14 Penn State, Harvard, Sacred Heart, No. 12 George Mason, NJIT and McKendree have all fallen to the Cardinals. Ball State defeated the Mastodons in Muncie, Ind. in straight sets.
McNerney Defensive Co-Player of the Week
Redshirt senior Scott McNerney earned his first MIVA player of the week award last week (Jan. 31) after recording seven digs against No. 12 George Mason and 11 against NJIT, good for three digs per set. McNerney did not have a single reception error. Ball State's Adam Wessel was the defensive co-player of the week, while recording three digs per set against the same foes.
Schroeder Sets Program Record
Graydon Schroeder broke the Fort Wayne record in hitting percentage (with a minimum of 15 attempts) by recording 17 kills on 21 attempts with no errors, reaching .810. The previous record was set by Jason Yhost, who hit .762 (17-1-21) at Mercyhurst in 2008. Schroeder led the way for the Mastodons to have their best hitting night of the season, as Fort Wayne finished with a .380 percentage. Schroeder also tied the season-high number of kills in a match for the Mastodons.
Blocking George Mason
When the Mastodons faced off against No. 12 George Mason on January 27, Fort Wayne was not blocked by the Patriots. This was the first time that Fort Wayne was not blocked since January 13, 2006, when the Mastodons defeated Carthage 3-0. It was also the first win over a Top 15 team since February 2, 2015, when Fort Wayne topped No. 13 Ball State in five sets.
Freshman Killin' It
Pelegrin Vargas is starting off his freshman campaign with Fort Wayne on a strong note. He is the Mastodons' kill leader, totaling 147, which averages to 3.34 per set. Vargas had a career-high 17 kills at Harvard, while having eight total matches with double-digit kills.
Last Time Out
Fort Wayne fell in three sets (25-14, 25-20, 25-21) to the Ball State Cardinals in Muncie, Ind. Austin Neace had a career-high 10 kills in that match.
Next Time Up
The Mastodons start their nine-match road stretch, starting with Loyola and Lewis on Thursday (Feb. 16-18). Both Loyola and Lewis are ranked in the most recent AVCA Top 15 Poll (Feb. 6) at 10th and 8th respectively. The Mastodons do not return home until March 31, when they welcome Lindenwood to Arnie Ball Court.
