Purdue Fort Wayne
NJIT
Purdue Fort Wayne MVB Set to Open Season with NJIT and Princeton
1/2/2019 5:47:00 PM | Men's Volleyball
GAMEDAY INFORMATION VS NJIT
WHEN: Friday, January 4 | 7 p.m.
WHERE: Fort Wayne, Ind. | Arnie Ball Court
LIVE STATS: Purdue Fort Wayne Stats
LIVE VIDEO: Purdue Fort Wayne Video
LIVE AUDIO: Purdue Fort Wayne Audio
Play-by-Play: Mike Maahs
SERIES HISTORY: Purdue Fort Wayne leads 14-1
LAST MEETING: W, 3-0 (25-19, 25, 21, 32-30) | January 13, 2018 | Newark, N.J.
GAMEDAY INFORMATION VS PRINCETON
WHEN: Saturday, January 5 | 7 p.m.
WHERE: Fort Wayne, Ind. | Arnie Ball Court
LIVE STATS: Purdue Fort Wayne Stats
LIVE VIDEO: Purdue Fort Wayne Video
LIVE AUDIO: Purdue Fort Wayne Audio
Play-by-Play: Mike Maahs
SERIES HISTORY: Purdue Fort Wayne leads 2-0
LAST MEETING: W, 3-0 (25-20, 25-17, 25-20) | March 22, 2018 | Princeton, N.J.
SCOUTING PURDUE FORT WAYNE
Purdue Fort Wayne will open the season ranked T-14th in the AVCA Top 15 Coaches Poll, coming off an 18-11 season in 2018. The Mastodons return all players that started in at least 24 contests last season, including three All-MIVA selections. Pelegrin Vargas led the Mastodons in kills with 3.75 per set, and is back for his junior season after being selected as an AVCA All-America Honorable Mention.
SCOUTING NJIT
The Highlanders finished 2018 with a 9-17 record, and return their top-three kills leaders. Piotr Namiotko and Alvaro Gimeno both averaged over three kills per set last season for NJIT. The primary setter, Ricardo Whitaker, also returns for his senior season with the Highlanders.
SCOUTING PRINCETON
Princeton finished 2018 with a 12-16 record, making a run to the EIVA championship match. The Tigers beat George Mason in the first round 3-1. They return their top kills leaders with George Huhmann and Greg Luck and top defenders in Luck and Parker Dixon. Princeton is receiving votes in the AVCA Top 15 Coaches Poll to start the 2019 season.
BROTHERLY COMPETITION... AGAIN
Michael Keegan will reunite on the court with his brother Cade against Princeton. Cade is a sophomore libero for the Tigers, and his season-best performance was a 17-dig outing at Charleston. In the 2018 matchup between the Mastodons and Tigers, Purdue Fort Wayne took a 3-0 (25-20, 25-17, 25-20) victory thanks to a .522 hitting clip. Michael finished with 17 digs, topping his brother, who finished with only seven.
MOVING UP THE RANKINGS
Michael Keegan has 2,610 career assists, putting him in seventh place all-time. He needs 79 to pass Colin Lundeen to move into sixth.
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.
ENTERING THE SEASON RANKED
Entering the 2019 season, the Mastodons will be ranked T-14th, which will mark the 291st week that the program has been ranked in the AVCA Coaches Poll since its inception in 1986. It is also the first time the 'Dons will start the season ranked since the 2015 season, which they were ranked No. 15.
ON THE WATCH LISTS...
Pelegrin Vargas, Michael Keegan and Kolbie Knorr found places on various watch lists to begin the season. Vargas was selected to the Karch Kiraly list, which marks the best outside hitter of the season. Keegan was on the Lloy Ball list, which is given to the best setter in the country. Knorr was on the Erik Shoji award list, which is given to the best libero in the nation.
ELITE MASTODONS
In 2018, the Mastodons did not fall to any unranked teams in the AVCA Top 15 Coaches Poll. The Mastodons were 16-0 in such contests.
LAST TIME OUT
The 'Dons bowed out of the MIVA Tournament to conclude the 2018 campaign with a 3-0 loss at Lewis. This was the 4-5 matchup, with Lewis finding the No. 4 seed and the Mastodons earning the No. 5 spot.
NEXT TIME UP
The Mastodons will head to North Carolina to face off against Lees-McRae and Queens on January 11-12. The 'Dons topped Lees-McRae 3-0 last season and will be facing Queens for the first time in program history.
~ Feel the Rumble ~
