Thursday, April 4
Columbus, Ohio
7 PM
Purdue Fort Wayne
at
Ohio State
Purdue Fort Wayne Set for Final Two MIVA Matches of Regular Season
4/3/2019 12:44:00 PM | Men's Volleyball
FORT WAYNE, Ind. - No. 13 Purdue Fort Wayne men's volleyball is set to take on its last two MIVA foes of the regular season with Ohio State and McKendree this week.
Gameday Information vs Ohio State
WHEN: Thursday, April 4 | 7 p.m.
WHERE: Columbus, Ohio | St. John Arena
LIVE STATS: Ohio State Live Stats
LIVE VIDEO: BTN Plus
SERIES HISTORY: Ohio State leads 75-38
LAST MEETING: W, 3-0 (34-32, 25-17, 25-23) | February 5, 2019 | Fort Wayne, Ind.
Gameday Information vs McKendree
WHEN: Saturday, April 6 | 5 p.m. ET
WHERE: Lebanon, Ill. | Statham Center
LIVE STATS: McKendree Live Stats
LIVE VIDEO: GLVC Network
SERIES HISTORY: Purdue Fort Wayne leads 6-3
LAST MEETING: W, 3-2 (25-21, 23-25, 25-20, 22-25, 15-7) | February 5, 2019 | Fort Wayne, Ind.
Scouting Ohio State
The Buckeyes are 8-18 on the season and hold a 3-9 record in MIVA play. They are led by Jake Hanes, who is averaging 4.27 kills per set at the opposite spot. They are a much better home team than on the road, with a 7-6 record in St. John Arena and 1-10 away from Columbus.
Scouting McKendree
McKendree is 11-11, 6-6 MIVA and currently is slated at fourth in the MIVA standings. The Bearcats will host the Ball State Cardinals before hosting the Mastodons. McKendree is led by Zach Schnittker who averages 2.43 kills per set. The Bearcats had their best win of their program's history earlier this season when they took down No. 8 BYU.
Pelegrin Has Done a Little Bit of Everything
Pelegrin Vargas has earned all three Player of the Week honors: MIVA Offensive and Defensive and National Player of the Week. He is the only player in the MIVA to earn all three this season. He is also the first MIVA athlete to earn MIVA Offensive and Defensive Player of the Week in back-to-back weeks since Darryl Shank did in 2011.
Moving Up the Rankings
Michael Keegan has 3,402 career assists, putting him in fourth place in program history after passing Phil Bodine against Saint Francis on March 16. Omar Rivera is next on the list in third; he had 3,865 assists from 2012-15.
That's a Lot of Assists!
With Michael Keegan's 3,402 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 4,180.
He Doesn't Make Mistakes
Austin Neace ranks fourth in program history in career reception percentage (min. 100 receptions) at .965. He has only 11 errors on 316 receptions in his four years with the Mastodons.
Hi, My Name Is Colton and I'll Be Your Server
Colton Stone is only one ace away from moving into the top 10 in program history in career aces. He currently owns 96, and is one short of Loren Gebert, who played from 1983-86.
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 six or more blocks in the Mastodons' wins over Ohio State, Ball State and Quincy.
Digging Up Elite Company
Kolbie Knorr is averaging 1.99 digs per set in his career as a Mastodon, which is 10th in program history. He has had at least 10 digs in six matches this season.
In the Top 15
Purdue Fort Wayne is in the AVCA Top 15 Coaches Poll this week, coming in at No. 13. The 'Dons have been ranked in the poll for 303 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 30-0 against unranked teams since that date.
Last Time Out
Purdue Fort Wayne came away from a pair of wins from the road trip to Quincy and Lindenwood. The Mastodons won 3-0 at Quincy and 3-2 at Lindenwood to clinch the No. 3 seed for the MIVA Tournament.
Next Time Up
The Mastodons will host an MIVA Tournament match on April 13 at a to-be-announced time. Purdue Fort Wayne can play itself to the No. 3 seed with a win over either McKendree or Ohio State this week. The Mastodons could play an opening round match against McKendree, Ball State, Lindenwood or Ohio State, depending on this week's results.
Gameday Information vs Ohio State
WHEN: Thursday, April 4 | 7 p.m.
WHERE: Columbus, Ohio | St. John Arena
LIVE STATS: Ohio State Live Stats
LIVE VIDEO: BTN Plus
SERIES HISTORY: Ohio State leads 75-38
LAST MEETING: W, 3-0 (34-32, 25-17, 25-23) | February 5, 2019 | Fort Wayne, Ind.
Gameday Information vs McKendree
WHEN: Saturday, April 6 | 5 p.m. ET
WHERE: Lebanon, Ill. | Statham Center
LIVE STATS: McKendree Live Stats
LIVE VIDEO: GLVC Network
SERIES HISTORY: Purdue Fort Wayne leads 6-3
LAST MEETING: W, 3-2 (25-21, 23-25, 25-20, 22-25, 15-7) | February 5, 2019 | Fort Wayne, Ind.
Scouting Ohio State
The Buckeyes are 8-18 on the season and hold a 3-9 record in MIVA play. They are led by Jake Hanes, who is averaging 4.27 kills per set at the opposite spot. They are a much better home team than on the road, with a 7-6 record in St. John Arena and 1-10 away from Columbus.
Scouting McKendree
McKendree is 11-11, 6-6 MIVA and currently is slated at fourth in the MIVA standings. The Bearcats will host the Ball State Cardinals before hosting the Mastodons. McKendree is led by Zach Schnittker who averages 2.43 kills per set. The Bearcats had their best win of their program's history earlier this season when they took down No. 8 BYU.
Pelegrin Has Done a Little Bit of Everything
Pelegrin Vargas has earned all three Player of the Week honors: MIVA Offensive and Defensive and National Player of the Week. He is the only player in the MIVA to earn all three this season. He is also the first MIVA athlete to earn MIVA Offensive and Defensive Player of the Week in back-to-back weeks since Darryl Shank did in 2011.
Moving Up the Rankings
Michael Keegan has 3,402 career assists, putting him in fourth place in program history after passing Phil Bodine against Saint Francis on March 16. Omar Rivera is next on the list in third; he had 3,865 assists from 2012-15.
That's a Lot of Assists!
With Michael Keegan's 3,402 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 4,180.
He Doesn't Make Mistakes
Austin Neace ranks fourth in program history in career reception percentage (min. 100 receptions) at .965. He has only 11 errors on 316 receptions in his four years with the Mastodons.
Hi, My Name Is Colton and I'll Be Your Server
Colton Stone is only one ace away from moving into the top 10 in program history in career aces. He currently owns 96, and is one short of Loren Gebert, who played from 1983-86.
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 six or more blocks in the Mastodons' wins over Ohio State, Ball State and Quincy.
Digging Up Elite Company
Kolbie Knorr is averaging 1.99 digs per set in his career as a Mastodon, which is 10th in program history. He has had at least 10 digs in six matches this season.
In the Top 15
Purdue Fort Wayne is in the AVCA Top 15 Coaches Poll this week, coming in at No. 13. The 'Dons have been ranked in the poll for 303 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 30-0 against unranked teams since that date.
Last Time Out
Purdue Fort Wayne came away from a pair of wins from the road trip to Quincy and Lindenwood. The Mastodons won 3-0 at Quincy and 3-2 at Lindenwood to clinch the No. 3 seed for the MIVA Tournament.
Next Time Up
The Mastodons will host an MIVA Tournament match on April 13 at a to-be-announced time. Purdue Fort Wayne can play itself to the No. 3 seed with a win over either McKendree or Ohio State this week. The Mastodons could play an opening round match against McKendree, Ball State, Lindenwood or Ohio State, depending on this week's results.
~ Feel the Rumble ~
Players Mentioned
MB
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S
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L
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OH
/ Men's Volleyball
OPP
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OH
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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
