MVB Heads to Lees-McRae and Queens

Gameday Information vs Lees-McRae
WHEN: Friday, January 11 | 7 p.m.
WHERE: Banner Elk, N.C. | Williams Gymnasium
LIVE STATS: Live Stats
LIVE VIDEO: Live Video
LIVE AUDIO: Live Audio
Play-by-Play: Mike Maahs
SERIES HISTORY: Purdue Fort Wayne leads 2-0
LAST MEETING: W, 3-0 (25-23, 25, 18, 25-18) | January 6, 2018 | Fort Wayne, Ind.

Gameday Information vs Queens
WHEN: Saturday, January 12 | 7:30 p.m.
WHERE: Charlotte, N.C. | Levine Center
LIVE STATS: Live Stats
LIVE VIDEO: Live Video
LIVE AUDIO: Live Audio
Play-by-Play: Mike Maahs
SERIES HISTORY: First Meeting
LAST MEETING: First Meeting

Scouting Purdue Fort Wayne
Purdue Fort Wayne enters the weekend 2-0 and ranked No. 13. Pelegrin Vargas leads the team with 4.67 kills per set with a .415 hitting percentage, and Michael Keegan paces the offense with 12.83 assists per set. The team is hitting .348 through two matches.

Scouting Lees-McRae
Lees-McRae has not played a match yet this season, however, they were picked ninth in the Conference Carolinas. Hector Serviat is the only senior on the roster, but the Bobcats are led by sophomore Robert Bowling, who finished with 172 kills as a freshman. He was placed on the 2019 Karch Kiraly watch list for best outside hitters in the country.

Scouting Queens
Queens is 0-2 after falling to George Mason in three sets and North Greenville in four. Last season, Queens finished second in the country in digs per set and return fix of their primary starters from 2018.

Keegan For MIVA and National POTW
Michael Keegan recorded his first-career MIVA Offensive Player of the Week and Sports Imports/AVCA National Player of the Week honors on Tuesday (Jan. 8). He earned the honors after averaging 12.83 assists per set, 1.5 digs per set and 0.5 blocks per set against NJIT and (RV) Princeton. He led the Mastodon squad to hit at a rate of .330 against NJIT and .369 against Princeton.

Defense Wins Players of the Week
Kolbie Knorr was selected as the MIVA Defensive Player of the Week after a 16-dig weekend (2.67 per set) in the Mastodons' wins over NJIT and (RV) Princeton. This was his first player of the week honor since becoming a Mastodon.

Digging Up Elite Company
Kolbie Knorr is averaging 2.07 digs per set in his career, which places him in ninth in program history in that category. Shaun Dryden (No. 8) and Jay Golsteyn (No. 7) both rank within 0.01 digs per set higher than Knorr.

Moving Up the Rankings
Michael Keegan has 2,687 career assists, putting him in seventh place in program history. He needs three more to pass Colin Lundeen to move into sixth. Omar Rivera is in fifth, who had 2959 assists from 2012-15.

Double Trouble
Michael Keegan had eight double-doubles in 2018. His eight double-doubles put him tied for the most in a single season in the rally scoring era. C.J. Macias had eight in 2006. Keegan's career double-double total is 16, with 12 of them coming on the road.

Ranked Again
This week, the Mastodons are ranked 13th in the AVCA Top 15 Coaches Poll. This is the 292nd week that the 'Dons are ranked in the poll since its inception in 1986.

Elite Mastodons
The Mastodons have not fallen to an unranked opponent since April 1, 2017. The 'Dons are 18-0 against unranked teams since that date.

Last Time Out
The Mastodons topped both NJIT and (RV) Princeton in straight sets. The Mastodons hit .330 and .369 as a team in those two respective matches.

Next Time Up
The 'Dons return home for a couple of matches against California teams. Purdue Fort Wayne will welcome No. 12 Cal State Northridge and No. 10 UC Santa Barbara.

~ Feel the Rumble ~

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Michael Keegan

Kolbie Knorr

Pelegrin Vargas

Purdue University Fort Wayne Athletics