Thursday, February 21
Muncie, Ind.
7 PM
Purdue Fort Wayne
at
Ball State
Photo by: Jim Whitcraft
No. 15 Mastodons and No. 12 Cardinals Face Off on Thursday
2/20/2019 2:02:00 PM | Men's Volleyball
The No. 15 Purdue Fort Wayne men's volleyball team heads down I-69 on Thursday (Feb. 20) for a matchup with No. 12 Ball State.
Gameday Information vs No. 12 Ball State
WHEN: Thursday, February 21 | 7 p.m.
WHERE: Muncie, Ind. | Worthen Arena
LIVE STATS: Ball State Live Stats
LIVE VIDEO: ESPN3
Play-by-Play: Joel Godett
Color: Jessica Lindsey
SERIES HISTORY: Ball State leads 72-29
LAST MEETING: L, 3-0 (25-21, 25-22, 25-20) | March 17, 2018 | Muncie, Ind.
Scouting Ball State (7-7, 1-3 MIVA)
Ball State is 7-7, 1-3 MIVA at this point, and is No. 12 in the AVCA Top 15 Coaches Poll. The Mastodons and Cardinals have played 12 common opponents, in which they are 6-7 and 7-5, respectively. Purdue Fort Wayne had two matches at Stanford. Ball State is led by Kaleb Jenness and Matt Szews who have 168 and 161 kills respectively. The Cardinals have wins over No. 10 Cal State Northridge, No. 12 Ohio State, and No. 13 George Mason this season.
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 0.471 aces per set, which is good enough for third in the MIVA, behind just Matt Yoshimoto and Kyle Bugee of Lewis. Stone had a career-high four aces against McKendree on Feb. 8.
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 0.961 blocks per set is eighth in the MIVA.
Moving Up the Rankings
Michael Keegan has 3,081 career assists, putting him in fifth place in program history after passing Dennis Santiago at Lewis on February 16. Phil Bodine is next on the list in fourth; he had 3,188 assists from 1985-88.
That's a Lot of Assists!
With Michael Keegan's 3,081 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 3,920.
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 297 weeks since its inception in 1986.
Elite Mastodons
The Mastodons have not fallen to an opponent outside of the AVCA Top 15 Coaches Poll since April 1, 2017. The 'Dons are 24-0 against unranked teams since that date.
Last Time Out
The 'Dons fell to No. 7 Loyola Chicago and No. 10 Lewis on the road. The Ramblers and Flyers are now tied at the top of the MIVA at 4-0.
Next Time Up
Purdue Fort Wayne will return home for the beginning of a seven-match homestand. For the first weekend of said homestand, Lindenwood and Quincy will visit Arnie Ball Court to face the Mastodons on March 3 and 4.
Gameday Information vs No. 12 Ball State
WHEN: Thursday, February 21 | 7 p.m.
WHERE: Muncie, Ind. | Worthen Arena
LIVE STATS: Ball State Live Stats
LIVE VIDEO: ESPN3
Play-by-Play: Joel Godett
Color: Jessica Lindsey
SERIES HISTORY: Ball State leads 72-29
LAST MEETING: L, 3-0 (25-21, 25-22, 25-20) | March 17, 2018 | Muncie, Ind.
Scouting Ball State (7-7, 1-3 MIVA)
Ball State is 7-7, 1-3 MIVA at this point, and is No. 12 in the AVCA Top 15 Coaches Poll. The Mastodons and Cardinals have played 12 common opponents, in which they are 6-7 and 7-5, respectively. Purdue Fort Wayne had two matches at Stanford. Ball State is led by Kaleb Jenness and Matt Szews who have 168 and 161 kills respectively. The Cardinals have wins over No. 10 Cal State Northridge, No. 12 Ohio State, and No. 13 George Mason this season.
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 0.471 aces per set, which is good enough for third in the MIVA, behind just Matt Yoshimoto and Kyle Bugee of Lewis. Stone had a career-high four aces against McKendree on Feb. 8.
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 0.961 blocks per set is eighth in the MIVA.
Moving Up the Rankings
Michael Keegan has 3,081 career assists, putting him in fifth place in program history after passing Dennis Santiago at Lewis on February 16. Phil Bodine is next on the list in fourth; he had 3,188 assists from 1985-88.
That's a Lot of Assists!
With Michael Keegan's 3,081 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 3,920.
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 297 weeks since its inception in 1986.
Elite Mastodons
The Mastodons have not fallen to an opponent outside of the AVCA Top 15 Coaches Poll since April 1, 2017. The 'Dons are 24-0 against unranked teams since that date.
Last Time Out
The 'Dons fell to No. 7 Loyola Chicago and No. 10 Lewis on the road. The Ramblers and Flyers are now tied at the top of the MIVA at 4-0.
Next Time Up
Purdue Fort Wayne will return home for the beginning of a seven-match homestand. For the first weekend of said homestand, Lindenwood and Quincy will visit Arnie Ball Court to face the Mastodons on March 3 and 4.
~ Feel the Rumble ~
Players Mentioned
MB
/ Men's Volleyball
S
/ 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
