'Dons, Colonials and Penguins Meet for Phenomenal Mascot Matchups

FORT WAYNE, Ind. - The best mascots in the Horizon League will meet this weekend as the Mastodons of Purdue Fort Wayne women's volleyball will play against the Robert Morris Colonials and the Youngstown State Penguins.

Game Day Information (Friday)
Who: Robert Morris Colonials
When: Friday, November 3 | 6 PM
Where: Moon Township, Pa. | UPMC Events Center
Live Stats: Link
Watch: ESPN+
Match Notes: Purdue Fort Wayne | Robert Morris

Game Day Information (Saturday)
Who: Youngstown State Penguins
When: Saturday, November 4 | 4 PM
Where: Youngstown, Ohio | Beeghly Center
Live Stats: Link
Watch: ESPN+
Match Notes: Purdue Fort Wayne | Youngstown State

Know Your Foe
Robert Morris has lost four matches in a row headed into Thursday's match against IUPUI. The Colonials are 3-12 in Horizon League matches and 6-20 overall this season. Youngstown State is on an eight-match losing streak going into their Friday match against IUPUI. This season, the Penguins are 2-13 in conference play and 7-19 overall.

Series History
The 'Dons are 9-1 all-time against Robert Morris including a 3-0 win in their match earlier this year in Fort Wayne. Panna Ratkai hit 20 kills and served four aces to help the 'Dons take down Robert Morris. Purdue Fort Wayne is 6-4 against Youngstown State and has won all but one match against the Penguins on the road. The 'Dons are 3-1 in Youngstown including a three-set win back in 2021.

Record-Breaking Ratkai
Panna Ratkai recorded her second 30-kill performance in eight days, finishing with 33 in a five-set win over IUPUI on Saturday. She is the only Horizon League student-athlete to have more than 26 kills in a match this season and the only Mastodon player in program history to have two 30-kill matches. This season, Ratkai is one of six players in the nation to record 33 kills or more twice and leads the Horizon League with 5.80 kills per set, 1.35 more than any other player. Her 38.5 points vs. IUPUI and 30.0 points at Oakland are both top-three in the league season, second and third to only her own performance against Milwaukee last week.

Panna of the Week
Panna Ratkai has garnered Horizon League Player of the Week honors four times this season. She's the eighth player in HL history to be named POTW four or more times in a season and the only one to do it in her freshman year. The other seven were either named Player of the Year or Defensive Player of the Year:
Karen Fruit (2004 - senior) - Player of the Year
Kerri Schuh (2011 - senior) - Player of the Year
Stephenee Yancy (2014 - junior) - Player of the Year
Jenna Story (2019 - sophomore) - Defensive Player of the Year
Katie Crowe (spring 2021 - senior) - Player of the Year
Ari Miller (2021 - junior) - Player of the Year
Paula Gursching (2022 - sophomore) - Player of the Year

Double-Doubles
Ashby Willis now has double-doubles in back-to-back matches. Willis had 15 kills and 13 digs against Oakland and 13 kills and 14 digs against IUPUI.

Where They Stand
Robert Morris sits in eight headed into the weekend in the Horizon League standings at 3-12 in conference play. Youngstown State is in tenth with a 2-13 record.

Last Time Out
Redshirt-freshman Panna Ratkai became the only Mastodon in program history to have two 30-kill performances in her career on Saturday (Oct. 28), as the Purdue Fort Wayne women's volleyball team beat IUPUI 3-2. Ratkai's 33 kills on Saturday rank 13th in the nation in kills in a match this season. She managed it on an efficient .305 hitting. She also added 13 digs and five aces.

Coming Up
Purdue Fort Wayne hosts Cleveland State on Tuesday (Nov. 7) to open the final week of the regular season.

~ Feel the Rumble ~

'Dons, Colonials and Penguins Meet for Phenomenal Mascot Matchups

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Players Mentioned

Panna Ratkai

Ashby Willis

Purdue University Fort Wayne Athletics