Friday, February 8
Fort Wayne, Ind.
7 PM
Purdue Fort Wayne
vs
McKendree
Photo by: Jim Whitcraft
No. 15 Mastodons Welcome McKendree and No. 13 George Mason
2/7/2019 2:06:00 PM | Men's Volleyball
FORT WAYNE, Ind. - No. 15 Purdue Fort Wayne men's volleyball is set for a pair of matchups against McKendree and No. 13 George Mason on Friday and Saturday (Feb. 8-9) on Arnie Ball Court.
Gameday Information vs McKendree
WHEN: Friday, February 8 | 7 p.m.
WHERE: Fort Wayne, Ind. | Arnie Ball Court
LIVE STATS: Live Stats
LIVE VIDEO: Live Video
LIVE AUDIO: Live Audio
Play-by-Play: Mike Maahs
SERIES HISTORY: Purdue Fort Wayne leads 5-3
LAST MEETING: W, 3-0 (25-21, 25-23, 25-20) | April 7, 2018 | Fort Wayne, Ind.
Gameday Information vs George Mason
WHEN: Saturday, February 9 | 7 p.m.
WHERE: Fort Wayne, Ind. | Arnie Ball Court
LIVE STATS: Live Stats
LIVE VIDEO: Live Video
LIVE AUDIO: Live Audio
Play-by-Play: Mike Maahs
SERIES HISTORY: Purdue Fort Wayne leads 26-23
LAST MEETING: W, 3-0 (25-13, 25-17, 25-18) | January 27, 2017 | Fort Wayne, Ind.
Scouting McKendree (3-4, 0-0 MIVA)
McKendree is 3-4 on the season, coming off a 2-1 weekend in the Lindenwood Invitational. The Bearcats are led by Patrick Ross who has 55 kills this year for 2.50 per set. McKendree has a match at Ball State on Thursday before coming to Purdue Fort Wayne on Friday. The Mastodons have never lost to the Bearcats at home, holding a 4-0 home record in the young series.
Scouting George Mason (7-1, 2-0 EIVA)
George Mason is 7-1 this season and is ranked No. 13 in the AVCA Top 15 Coaches Poll. The Patriots have one Top 15 win this season, which came at then-No. 11 Ohio State in four sets. Hayden Wagner leads GMU with 5.55 points per set and 4.61 kills per set.
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 teams in the country that have ever had three different honorees on the same roster.
Kills For Pelegrin
Pelegrin Vargas leads the Mastodons and MIVA in kills with 147. 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 1.083 blocks per set is sixth 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 295 weeks since its inception in 1986.
Digging Up Elite Company
Kolbie Knorr is averaging 2.03 digs per set in his career as a Mastodon, which places him in ninth in program history in that category. This season, Knorr is fifth in the MIVA in digs per set with an average of 2.03. Including his time at Quincy, his average is 1.95, which is fourth best in the country among active players.
Moving Up the Rankings
Michael Keegan has 2,981 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 2,981 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 3,829.
Elite Mastodons
The Mastodons have not fallen to an unranked opponent since April 1, 2017. The 'Dons are 23-0 against unranked teams since that date.
Sweeping Start... Again
The Mastodons started the season with four straight sweeps, which tied the program record for most 3-0 wins to start a season. The record was set just last season. The 'Dons' longest streak of 3-0 victories is six, which came in 2007, including three victories in the MIVA Tournament.
Just Give Us All of the MIVA Players of the Week!
Purdue Fort Wayne has earned four different MIVA Player of the Week honors so far this season. Kolbie Knorr and Michael Keegan picked up Defensive and Co-Offensive respectively after the first week of the season. Richie Diedrich won Defensive after week two, and Colton Stone won the Offensive honor after the Mastodons spent the fourth week of the season at No. 8 Stanford.
Pele For National Player of the Week
Pelegrin Vargas earned his first-career Sports Imports/AVCA National Player of the Week honor on February 5. The junior had 33 kills (4.13 per set), a .417 hitting percentage, 17 digs (2.13 per set), and four blocks at Sacred Heart and Harvard.
Last Time Out
Purdue Fort Wayne took a 3-0 victory over Ohio State after a 34-32 extended first set for the Mastodons' first win over the Buckeyes since 2014. Pelegrin Vargas led the Mastodons with 15 kills (15-2-26) for a .500 clip.
Next Time Up
The 'Dons will travel to the Chicagoland area for a pair of matches at Loyola and Lewis on Friday and Saturday (Feb. 15-16) at 8 p.m. Loyola is ranked No. 7 and Lewis is No. 10.
Gameday Information vs McKendree
WHEN: Friday, February 8 | 7 p.m.
WHERE: Fort Wayne, Ind. | Arnie Ball Court
LIVE STATS: Live Stats
LIVE VIDEO: Live Video
LIVE AUDIO: Live Audio
Play-by-Play: Mike Maahs
SERIES HISTORY: Purdue Fort Wayne leads 5-3
LAST MEETING: W, 3-0 (25-21, 25-23, 25-20) | April 7, 2018 | Fort Wayne, Ind.
Gameday Information vs George Mason
WHEN: Saturday, February 9 | 7 p.m.
WHERE: Fort Wayne, Ind. | Arnie Ball Court
LIVE STATS: Live Stats
LIVE VIDEO: Live Video
LIVE AUDIO: Live Audio
Play-by-Play: Mike Maahs
SERIES HISTORY: Purdue Fort Wayne leads 26-23
LAST MEETING: W, 3-0 (25-13, 25-17, 25-18) | January 27, 2017 | Fort Wayne, Ind.
Scouting McKendree (3-4, 0-0 MIVA)
McKendree is 3-4 on the season, coming off a 2-1 weekend in the Lindenwood Invitational. The Bearcats are led by Patrick Ross who has 55 kills this year for 2.50 per set. McKendree has a match at Ball State on Thursday before coming to Purdue Fort Wayne on Friday. The Mastodons have never lost to the Bearcats at home, holding a 4-0 home record in the young series.
Scouting George Mason (7-1, 2-0 EIVA)
George Mason is 7-1 this season and is ranked No. 13 in the AVCA Top 15 Coaches Poll. The Patriots have one Top 15 win this season, which came at then-No. 11 Ohio State in four sets. Hayden Wagner leads GMU with 5.55 points per set and 4.61 kills per set.
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 teams in the country that have ever had three different honorees on the same roster.
Kills For Pelegrin
Pelegrin Vargas leads the Mastodons and MIVA in kills with 147. 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 1.083 blocks per set is sixth 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 295 weeks since its inception in 1986.
Digging Up Elite Company
Kolbie Knorr is averaging 2.03 digs per set in his career as a Mastodon, which places him in ninth in program history in that category. This season, Knorr is fifth in the MIVA in digs per set with an average of 2.03. Including his time at Quincy, his average is 1.95, which is fourth best in the country among active players.
Moving Up the Rankings
Michael Keegan has 2,981 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 2,981 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 3,829.
Elite Mastodons
The Mastodons have not fallen to an unranked opponent since April 1, 2017. The 'Dons are 23-0 against unranked teams since that date.
Sweeping Start... Again
The Mastodons started the season with four straight sweeps, which tied the program record for most 3-0 wins to start a season. The record was set just last season. The 'Dons' longest streak of 3-0 victories is six, which came in 2007, including three victories in the MIVA Tournament.
Just Give Us All of the MIVA Players of the Week!
Purdue Fort Wayne has earned four different MIVA Player of the Week honors so far this season. Kolbie Knorr and Michael Keegan picked up Defensive and Co-Offensive respectively after the first week of the season. Richie Diedrich won Defensive after week two, and Colton Stone won the Offensive honor after the Mastodons spent the fourth week of the season at No. 8 Stanford.
Pele For National Player of the Week
Pelegrin Vargas earned his first-career Sports Imports/AVCA National Player of the Week honor on February 5. The junior had 33 kills (4.13 per set), a .417 hitting percentage, 17 digs (2.13 per set), and four blocks at Sacred Heart and Harvard.
Last Time Out
Purdue Fort Wayne took a 3-0 victory over Ohio State after a 34-32 extended first set for the Mastodons' first win over the Buckeyes since 2014. Pelegrin Vargas led the Mastodons with 15 kills (15-2-26) for a .500 clip.
Next Time Up
The 'Dons will travel to the Chicagoland area for a pair of matches at Loyola and Lewis on Friday and Saturday (Feb. 15-16) at 8 p.m. Loyola is ranked No. 7 and Lewis is No. 10.
~ Feel the Rumble ~
Players Mentioned
MB
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S
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L
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OH
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OPP
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OH
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Thursday, February 13
