Saturday, February 10
Columbus, Ohio
7 PM
Purdue Fort Wayne
at
Ohio State
Men's Volleyball Travels to No. 5 Ohio State on Saturday
2/9/2018 3:06:00 PM | Men's Volleyball
FORT WAYNE, Ind. - The No. 14 Fort Wayne Mastodons hit the road on Saturday for a match with the No. 5 Ohio State Buckeyes in Columbus, Ohio. The match with the back-to-back defending national champions will be at 7 p.m. in St. John Arena.
Gameday Information at Ohio State
WHEN: Saturday, February 10 | 7 p.m.
WHERE: Columbus, Ohio | St. John Arena
LIVE STATS: Gametracker
LIVE VIDEO: BTN Plus
LIVE AUDIO: gomastodons.com/listen
Play-by-Play: Mike Maahs
SERIES HISTORY: Ohio State leads 73-37
LAST MEETING: Fort Wayne 0, No. 2 Ohio State 3 (25-11, 25-11, 25-16) | March 23, 2017 | Columbus, Ohio
Scouting No. 14 Fort Wayne
No. 14 Fort Wayne will travel to Columbus, Ohio with a 9-1, 1-0 MIVA record. The Mastodons are coming off a five-set victory over McKendree to open MIVA play. Pelegrin Vargas leads the team in kills per set with 3.74, followed by Colton Stone with 3.29 per set. Michael Keegan is pacing the Mastodons' .318 hitting percentage with 10.37 assists per set. Tomas Gago leads the 'Dons with 1.38 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 No. 5 Ohio State
The Buckeyes enter the weekend 8-2 and are coming off a five-set win over Ball State. OSU is ranked No. 5 in the AVCA Coaches Poll and is led by senior outside hitter Nicolas Szerszen. The two-time national player of the year is leading the Buckeyes with 115 kills on the year, averaging 3.1 per set, while hitting .397 on the year. OSU has played two common opponents with Fort Wayne in Penn State and Saint Francis (Pa.), which both were three-set victories for the Buckeyes.
Chip Off the Old Block
Fort Wayne had 19.5 team blocks against McKendree on Feb. 7, which was the first time a Mastodon squad had that number or more since 2006. The 'Dons had 23 blocks in a four set match at Ball State on March 18, and were led by 10 blocks from both Serdar Sikca and Josh Stewart.
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 the weekend at Saint Francis (Pa.) and Penn State. 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 1.38. He did not compete in Fort Wayne's first two matches of the year, but has since posted five or more blocks in five matches. This is the most on Fort Wayne's roster. This included eight blocks against Harvard and McKendree.
Bringing Out the Brooms
Six of Fort Wayne's nine 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 12.29 assists per set, 9.49 digs per set, and 13.06 kills per set. Individually, Michael Keegan is sixth in the country and second in the MIVA in assists per set with 10.37. Tomas Gago is third in the nation and first in the MIVA in blocks per set with 1.38. Pelegrin Vargas is sixth in the country and second in the MIVA with 3.74 kills per set.
Last Time Out
Fort Wayne topped MIVA foe McKendree in five sets after dropping the first two. Frederico Santos had 43 assists, 10 digs and six blocks, including the match-winner, which came by way of a solo block.
Next Time Up
The Mastodons return home after a five-match road stretch to face Loyola and Lewis on Feb. 16-17. Both of the MIVA schools have spent the entire season ranked in the AVCA Top 15. The Ramblers and Flyers rank sixth and eighth respectively.
Gameday Information at Ohio State
WHEN: Saturday, February 10 | 7 p.m.
WHERE: Columbus, Ohio | St. John Arena
LIVE STATS: Gametracker
LIVE VIDEO: BTN Plus
LIVE AUDIO: gomastodons.com/listen
Play-by-Play: Mike Maahs
SERIES HISTORY: Ohio State leads 73-37
LAST MEETING: Fort Wayne 0, No. 2 Ohio State 3 (25-11, 25-11, 25-16) | March 23, 2017 | Columbus, Ohio
Scouting No. 14 Fort Wayne
No. 14 Fort Wayne will travel to Columbus, Ohio with a 9-1, 1-0 MIVA record. The Mastodons are coming off a five-set victory over McKendree to open MIVA play. Pelegrin Vargas leads the team in kills per set with 3.74, followed by Colton Stone with 3.29 per set. Michael Keegan is pacing the Mastodons' .318 hitting percentage with 10.37 assists per set. Tomas Gago leads the 'Dons with 1.38 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 No. 5 Ohio State
The Buckeyes enter the weekend 8-2 and are coming off a five-set win over Ball State. OSU is ranked No. 5 in the AVCA Coaches Poll and is led by senior outside hitter Nicolas Szerszen. The two-time national player of the year is leading the Buckeyes with 115 kills on the year, averaging 3.1 per set, while hitting .397 on the year. OSU has played two common opponents with Fort Wayne in Penn State and Saint Francis (Pa.), which both were three-set victories for the Buckeyes.
Chip Off the Old Block
Fort Wayne had 19.5 team blocks against McKendree on Feb. 7, which was the first time a Mastodon squad had that number or more since 2006. The 'Dons had 23 blocks in a four set match at Ball State on March 18, and were led by 10 blocks from both Serdar Sikca and Josh Stewart.
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 the weekend at Saint Francis (Pa.) and Penn State. 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 1.38. He did not compete in Fort Wayne's first two matches of the year, but has since posted five or more blocks in five matches. This is the most on Fort Wayne's roster. This included eight blocks against Harvard and McKendree.
Bringing Out the Brooms
Six of Fort Wayne's nine 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 12.29 assists per set, 9.49 digs per set, and 13.06 kills per set. Individually, Michael Keegan is sixth in the country and second in the MIVA in assists per set with 10.37. Tomas Gago is third in the nation and first in the MIVA in blocks per set with 1.38. Pelegrin Vargas is sixth in the country and second in the MIVA with 3.74 kills per set.
Last Time Out
Fort Wayne topped MIVA foe McKendree in five sets after dropping the first two. Frederico Santos had 43 assists, 10 digs and six blocks, including the match-winner, which came by way of a solo block.
Next Time Up
The Mastodons return home after a five-match road stretch to face Loyola and Lewis on Feb. 16-17. Both of the MIVA schools have spent the entire season ranked in the AVCA Top 15. The Ramblers and Flyers rank sixth and eighth respectively.
~ Feel the Rumble ~
Players Mentioned
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