Wednesday, February 7
Lebanon, Ill.
8 PM
Purdue Fort Wayne
at
McKendree
Fort Wayne Hits the Road For MIVA Opener at McKendree
2/6/2018 11:29:00 AM | Men's Volleyball
FORT WAYNE, Ind. - The No. 14 Fort Wayne men's volleyball team hits the road on Wednesday (Feb. 7) for a match at McKendree to open the MIVA season. Fort Wayne is looking for its first-ever win at McKendree.
Gameday Information at McKendree
WHEN: Wednesday, February 7 | 8 p.m. EST
WHERE: Lebanon, Ill. | Statham Sports Arena
LIVE STATS: sidearmstats.com/mckendree/mvball
LIVE VIDEO: glvcsn.com/mckendree
SERIES HISTORY: Series tied 3-3
LAST MEETING: Fort Wayne 0, McKendree 3 (25-20, 25-22, 25-22) | March 25, 2017 | Lebanon, Ill.
Scouting No. 14 Fort Wayne (8-1, 0-0 MIVA)
No. 14 Fort Wayne enters the weekend 8-1. Pelegrin Vargas leads the team in kills per set with 3.77, followed by Colton Stone with 3.21 per set. Michael Keegan is pacing the Mastodons' .327 hitting percentage with 10.24 assists per set. Tomas Gago leads the 'Dons with 1.33 blocks per set, a conference best. Fort Wayne moved up to No. 14 after topping (RV) Saint Francis and falling to No. 9 Penn State in four sets.
Scouting McKendree (3-5, 1-0 MIVA)
The Bearcats are coming off a four-set loss to Grand Canyon that dropped them to 3-5 on the year. McKendree started the season on a four-match losing streak, but have won three of their last four. The Bearcats are led by Patrick Ross, who averages just under three kills per set. Pasquale Fiduccia sets the pace for the Beacats with 9.93 assists per set, allowing McKendree to hit .287 as a team on the year.
Keegan Player of the Week Times Two
Michael Keegan was named MIVA Defensive Player of the Week for the second time this season on February 6. He earned this distinction behind earning double-figure digs in matches at (RV) Saint Francis and No. 9 Penn State. He also added seven block assists for the weekend. Keegan and Tomas Gago have earned three of the five available MIVA Defensive Player of the Week awards.
Double Trouble
Michael Keegan has three double-doubles on the season after posting two over the weekend. He had 40 assists in both matches, and earned 10 and 11 digs at (RV) Saint Francis and No. 9 Penn State respectively. He pushed his career double-double total to 11, with nine of them coming on the road.
AVCA Top 15 'Dons
Fort Wayne moved into the AVCA Top 15 Coaches Poll on January 29, coming in at No. 15. The Mastodons were ranked for the first time since April 20, 2015, which was also a spot at No. 15. In the February 5 poll, the 'Dons moved up to 14th, tied with Southern California.
One of Three
Fort Wayne was one of just three programs in the country with an undefeated record through the month of January. No. 1 Long Beach State was 9-0 and Charleston was 3-0. Charleston later dropped a match to Ohio State, but Long Beach remains unbeaten.
Conference Leader
After arriving on campus on January 2, Tomas Gago is ranked first in the MIVA and third in the nation in blocks per set with 1.333. He did not compete in Fort Wayne's first two matches of the year, but has since posted five or more blocks in four matches. This is the most on Fort Wayne's roster. This included eight blocks against Harvard and seven against Sacred Heart.
Eight is Great
Fort Wayne started the season with eight straight wins, which tied the longest win-streak to start the season in program history. The other season that the Mastodons had eight straight to start was 2007. The 'Dons started 8-0 one season after starting 0-8 in 2017.
Bringing Out the Brooms
Six of Fort Wayne's eight victories so far this season have been sweeps. The Mastodons only dropped one set in January in a 3-1 win over Harvard.
In the Rankings...
Fort Wayne is ranked in the top five in the country in assists per set (4th), digs per set (5th) and kills per set (2nd). The 'Dons own 12.30 assists per set, 9.53 digs per set, and 13.13 kills per set. Individually, Michael Keegan is sixth in the country and second in the MIVA in assists per set with 10.28. Tomas Gago is third in the nation and first in the MIVA in blocks per set with 1.333. Pelegrin Vargas is sixth in the country and second in the MIVA with 3.77 kills per set.
Seeking 600
Fort Wayne is only seven wins short of reaching 600 program victories. The 500th win came in 2011 by way of a 3-0 win over Carthage.
Last Time Out
The Mastodons fell in four sets to No. 9 Penn State. PSU won the first and third sets by scores of 30-28 and 29-27 respectively, despite Fort Wayne having three set points in both. The 'Dons took the set in between 25-19. This was Fort Wayne's first loss of the season.
Next Time Up
Fort Wayne has an evening matchup with back-to-back defending MIVA and National champ Ohio State. The Buckeys have a match with Ball State before welcoming the Mastodons, but hold a 7-2 record heading into the weekend. The two losses came at the hands of BYU and UCLA, both in five sets. The Buckeyes also come in at No. 5 in the AVCA Top 15.
Gameday Information at McKendree
WHEN: Wednesday, February 7 | 8 p.m. EST
WHERE: Lebanon, Ill. | Statham Sports Arena
LIVE STATS: sidearmstats.com/mckendree/mvball
LIVE VIDEO: glvcsn.com/mckendree
SERIES HISTORY: Series tied 3-3
LAST MEETING: Fort Wayne 0, McKendree 3 (25-20, 25-22, 25-22) | March 25, 2017 | Lebanon, Ill.
Scouting No. 14 Fort Wayne (8-1, 0-0 MIVA)
No. 14 Fort Wayne enters the weekend 8-1. Pelegrin Vargas leads the team in kills per set with 3.77, followed by Colton Stone with 3.21 per set. Michael Keegan is pacing the Mastodons' .327 hitting percentage with 10.24 assists per set. Tomas Gago leads the 'Dons with 1.33 blocks per set, a conference best. Fort Wayne moved up to No. 14 after topping (RV) Saint Francis and falling to No. 9 Penn State in four sets.
Scouting McKendree (3-5, 1-0 MIVA)
The Bearcats are coming off a four-set loss to Grand Canyon that dropped them to 3-5 on the year. McKendree started the season on a four-match losing streak, but have won three of their last four. The Bearcats are led by Patrick Ross, who averages just under three kills per set. Pasquale Fiduccia sets the pace for the Beacats with 9.93 assists per set, allowing McKendree to hit .287 as a team on the year.
Keegan Player of the Week Times Two
Michael Keegan was named MIVA Defensive Player of the Week for the second time this season on February 6. He earned this distinction behind earning double-figure digs in matches at (RV) Saint Francis and No. 9 Penn State. He also added seven block assists for the weekend. Keegan and Tomas Gago have earned three of the five available MIVA Defensive Player of the Week awards.
Double Trouble
Michael Keegan has three double-doubles on the season after posting two over the weekend. He had 40 assists in both matches, and earned 10 and 11 digs at (RV) Saint Francis and No. 9 Penn State respectively. He pushed his career double-double total to 11, with nine of them coming on the road.
AVCA Top 15 'Dons
Fort Wayne moved into the AVCA Top 15 Coaches Poll on January 29, coming in at No. 15. The Mastodons were ranked for the first time since April 20, 2015, which was also a spot at No. 15. In the February 5 poll, the 'Dons moved up to 14th, tied with Southern California.
One of Three
Fort Wayne was one of just three programs in the country with an undefeated record through the month of January. No. 1 Long Beach State was 9-0 and Charleston was 3-0. Charleston later dropped a match to Ohio State, but Long Beach remains unbeaten.
Conference Leader
After arriving on campus on January 2, Tomas Gago is ranked first in the MIVA and third in the nation in blocks per set with 1.333. He did not compete in Fort Wayne's first two matches of the year, but has since posted five or more blocks in four matches. This is the most on Fort Wayne's roster. This included eight blocks against Harvard and seven against Sacred Heart.
Eight is Great
Fort Wayne started the season with eight straight wins, which tied the longest win-streak to start the season in program history. The other season that the Mastodons had eight straight to start was 2007. The 'Dons started 8-0 one season after starting 0-8 in 2017.
Bringing Out the Brooms
Six of Fort Wayne's eight victories so far this season have been sweeps. The Mastodons only dropped one set in January in a 3-1 win over Harvard.
In the Rankings...
Fort Wayne is ranked in the top five in the country in assists per set (4th), digs per set (5th) and kills per set (2nd). The 'Dons own 12.30 assists per set, 9.53 digs per set, and 13.13 kills per set. Individually, Michael Keegan is sixth in the country and second in the MIVA in assists per set with 10.28. Tomas Gago is third in the nation and first in the MIVA in blocks per set with 1.333. Pelegrin Vargas is sixth in the country and second in the MIVA with 3.77 kills per set.
Seeking 600
Fort Wayne is only seven wins short of reaching 600 program victories. The 500th win came in 2011 by way of a 3-0 win over Carthage.
Last Time Out
The Mastodons fell in four sets to No. 9 Penn State. PSU won the first and third sets by scores of 30-28 and 29-27 respectively, despite Fort Wayne having three set points in both. The 'Dons took the set in between 25-19. This was Fort Wayne's first loss of the season.
Next Time Up
Fort Wayne has an evening matchup with back-to-back defending MIVA and National champ Ohio State. The Buckeys have a match with Ball State before welcoming the Mastodons, but hold a 7-2 record heading into the weekend. The two losses came at the hands of BYU and UCLA, both in five sets. The Buckeyes also come in at No. 5 in the AVCA Top 15.
~ Feel the Rumble ~
Players Mentioned
MB
/ Men's Volleyball
S
/ Men's Volleyball
OPP
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OH
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