Friday, February 15
Chicago, Ill.
8 PM
Purdue Fort Wayne
at
Loyola Chicago
Photo by: Jim Whitcraft
Duels For the Top of the MIVA: 'Dons Face Loyola and Lewis This Weekend
2/14/2019 11:12:00 AM | Men's Volleyball
FORT WAYNE, Ind. - No. 15 Purdue Fort Wayne is set to face off against the two other teams that are tied for the lead in the MIVA this weekend. The Mastodons will travel to No. 7 Loyola Chicago on Friday (Feb. 15) and No. 10 Lewis on Saturday (Feb. 16).
Gameday Information vs No. 7 Loyola Chicago
WHEN: Friday, February 15 | 8 p.m. ET
WHERE: Chicago, Ill. | Gentile Arena
LIVE STATS: Live Stats
LIVE VIDEO: ESPN3
SERIES HISTORY: Loyola Chicago leads 33-18
LAST MEETING: L, 3-0 (25-23, 25-21, 25-15) | March 24, 2018 | Chicago, Ill.
Gameday Information vs No. 10 Lewis
WHEN: Saturday, February 16 | 8 p.m. ET
WHERE: Romeoville, Ill. | Neil Carey Arena
LIVE STATS: Live Stats
LIVE VIDEO: GLVC Network
SERIES HISTORY: Lewis leads 36-24
LAST MEETING: L, 3-0 (25-22, 25-22, 25-18) | April 14, 2017 (MIVA Quarterfinal) | Romeoville, Ill.
Scouting Loyola Chicago (9-3, 2-0 MIVA)
Loyola Chicago is 9-3 on the season and is ranked No. 7 in the AVCA Top 15 Coaches Poll. The Ramblers have wins over No. 5 Pepperdine and at No. 11 Cal State Northridge. They are led by Preseason MIVA Player of the Year Collin Mahan, who has a season average of 3.49 kills per set.
Scouting Lewis (9-4, 2-0 MIVA)
Lewis is No. 10 in the AVCA Top 15 Coaches Poll and hold a 9-4 record. The Flyers will face Ball State on Friday before welcoming the Mastodons. Ryan Coenen leads the Flyers with 3.62 kills per set and setter Matt Yoshimoto, who is coming off MIVA Defensive Player of the Week.
Only One Team Has Three...
There is only one team in the country that has three players on the current roster that have earned a Sports Imports/AVCA National Player of the Week. That team? Purdue Fort Wayne. Tony Price won the honor in 2018, while Michael Keegan and Pelegrin Vargas each earned the accolade this season. There are only nine other programs that have ever had three players honorees on the same roster.
Hi, My Name Is Colton and I'll Be Your Server
Colton Stone is averaging 0.50 aces per set, which is good enough for second in the MIVA, behind just Matt Yoshimoto of Lewis. He had a career-high four aces against McKendree on Feb. 8.
MIVA Kills Leader
Pelegrin Vargas leads the Mastodons and MIVA in kills with 163. The junior ranks third in the conference in kills per set and points per set. Last season, Vargas led the conference in kills per set through the conclusion of the regular season.
Richie Can Block!
Richie Diedrich has had eight blocks in two matches so far this season, both matched his career-high set against No. 12 George Mason in 2017. This season, the junior had eight blocks at Queens in three sets and at No. 8 Stanford in four. He also had seven blocks in the Mastodons' 3-0 win over Ohio State. His average of 1.023 blocks per set is eighth in the MIVA.
Back In the Top 15
The Mastodons are back in the AVCA Top 15 Coaches Poll this week, coming in at No. 15. The 'Dons have been ranked in the poll for 296 weeks since its inception in 1986.
Digging Up Elite Company
Kolbie Knorr is averaging 1.94 digs per set in his career, including his time at Quincy. He is fourth among active Division I/II players for his career. There are three MIVA players in the top five in the country, with Zach Thompson (McKendree) and Michael Simmons (Lewis) joining Knorr.
Moving Up the Rankings
Michael Keegan has 3,036 career assists, putting him in sixth place in program history after passing Colin Lundeen at Queens on January 12. Dennis Santiago is next on the list in fifth; he had 3065 assists from 2002-04.
That's a Lot of Assists!
With Michael Keegan's 3,036 career assists, he is second in the nation among active players in that category. He trails only Josh Tuaniga of Long Beach State who has 3,894.
Elite Mastodons
The Mastodons have not fallen to an unranked opponent since April 1, 2017. The 'Dons are 24-0 against unranked teams since that date.
Last Time Out
The 'Dons topped Ohio State and McKendree in three and five sets respectively to move to 2-0 in the MIVA, followed by a three-set loss to George Mason.
Next Time Up
Purdue Fort Wayne will have a match at Ball State on Thursday (Feb. 21). The Cardinals are currently ranked No. 12 in the AVCA Top 15 Coaches Poll and will have played nine ranked teams this season before playing the Mastodons.
Gameday Information vs No. 7 Loyola Chicago
WHEN: Friday, February 15 | 8 p.m. ET
WHERE: Chicago, Ill. | Gentile Arena
LIVE STATS: Live Stats
LIVE VIDEO: ESPN3
SERIES HISTORY: Loyola Chicago leads 33-18
LAST MEETING: L, 3-0 (25-23, 25-21, 25-15) | March 24, 2018 | Chicago, Ill.
Gameday Information vs No. 10 Lewis
WHEN: Saturday, February 16 | 8 p.m. ET
WHERE: Romeoville, Ill. | Neil Carey Arena
LIVE STATS: Live Stats
LIVE VIDEO: GLVC Network
SERIES HISTORY: Lewis leads 36-24
LAST MEETING: L, 3-0 (25-22, 25-22, 25-18) | April 14, 2017 (MIVA Quarterfinal) | Romeoville, Ill.
Scouting Loyola Chicago (9-3, 2-0 MIVA)
Loyola Chicago is 9-3 on the season and is ranked No. 7 in the AVCA Top 15 Coaches Poll. The Ramblers have wins over No. 5 Pepperdine and at No. 11 Cal State Northridge. They are led by Preseason MIVA Player of the Year Collin Mahan, who has a season average of 3.49 kills per set.
Scouting Lewis (9-4, 2-0 MIVA)
Lewis is No. 10 in the AVCA Top 15 Coaches Poll and hold a 9-4 record. The Flyers will face Ball State on Friday before welcoming the Mastodons. Ryan Coenen leads the Flyers with 3.62 kills per set and setter Matt Yoshimoto, who is coming off MIVA Defensive Player of the Week.
Only One Team Has Three...
There is only one team in the country that has three players on the current roster that have earned a Sports Imports/AVCA National Player of the Week. That team? Purdue Fort Wayne. Tony Price won the honor in 2018, while Michael Keegan and Pelegrin Vargas each earned the accolade this season. There are only nine other programs that have ever had three players honorees on the same roster.
Hi, My Name Is Colton and I'll Be Your Server
Colton Stone is averaging 0.50 aces per set, which is good enough for second in the MIVA, behind just Matt Yoshimoto of Lewis. He had a career-high four aces against McKendree on Feb. 8.
MIVA Kills Leader
Pelegrin Vargas leads the Mastodons and MIVA in kills with 163. The junior ranks third in the conference in kills per set and points per set. Last season, Vargas led the conference in kills per set through the conclusion of the regular season.
Richie Can Block!
Richie Diedrich has had eight blocks in two matches so far this season, both matched his career-high set against No. 12 George Mason in 2017. This season, the junior had eight blocks at Queens in three sets and at No. 8 Stanford in four. He also had seven blocks in the Mastodons' 3-0 win over Ohio State. His average of 1.023 blocks per set is eighth in the MIVA.
Back In the Top 15
The Mastodons are back in the AVCA Top 15 Coaches Poll this week, coming in at No. 15. The 'Dons have been ranked in the poll for 296 weeks since its inception in 1986.
Digging Up Elite Company
Kolbie Knorr is averaging 1.94 digs per set in his career, including his time at Quincy. He is fourth among active Division I/II players for his career. There are three MIVA players in the top five in the country, with Zach Thompson (McKendree) and Michael Simmons (Lewis) joining Knorr.
Moving Up the Rankings
Michael Keegan has 3,036 career assists, putting him in sixth place in program history after passing Colin Lundeen at Queens on January 12. Dennis Santiago is next on the list in fifth; he had 3065 assists from 2002-04.
That's a Lot of Assists!
With Michael Keegan's 3,036 career assists, he is second in the nation among active players in that category. He trails only Josh Tuaniga of Long Beach State who has 3,894.
Elite Mastodons
The Mastodons have not fallen to an unranked opponent since April 1, 2017. The 'Dons are 24-0 against unranked teams since that date.
Last Time Out
The 'Dons topped Ohio State and McKendree in three and five sets respectively to move to 2-0 in the MIVA, followed by a three-set loss to George Mason.
Next Time Up
Purdue Fort Wayne will have a match at Ball State on Thursday (Feb. 21). The Cardinals are currently ranked No. 12 in the AVCA Top 15 Coaches Poll and will have played nine ranked teams this season before playing the Mastodons.
~ Feel the Rumble ~
Players Mentioned
MB
/ Men's Volleyball
S
/ Men's Volleyball
L
/ Men's Volleyball
OH
/ Men's Volleyball
OPP
/ Men's Volleyball
OH
/ Men's VolleyballPFW vs Maryville (Men's Volleyball)
Tuesday, March 11
PFW vs Thomas More (Mens Volleyball)
Friday, March 07
PFW vs Lindenwood (Mens Volleyball)
Friday, February 28
PFW vs Queens (Mens Volleyball)
Thursday, February 13
