Friday, March 10
Honolulu, Hawaii
Midnight ET
Purdue Fort Wayne
at
Hawaii
Jon Diedrich
Photo by: John Nagel
Mastodon MVB to Play Nation's Best at Outrigger Invitational
3/8/2023 4:23:00 PM | Men's Volleyball
FORT WAYNE, Ind. - The Purdue Fort Wayne men's volleyball team will play the best of the best at the Outrigger Invitational this week. The Mastodons have dates against No. 1 Hawaii, No. 2 UCLA and No. 3 Penn State.
Outrigger Invitational Information
Host: Hawaii Rainbow Warriors
When: March 9-11
Where: Honolulu, Hawaii | SimpliFi Arena
Live Stats: Hawaii | UCLA | Penn State
Watch: ESPN+ (Hawaii match only)
Game Notes: Purdue Fort Wayne | Hawaii | UCLA | Penn State | MIVA
Tournament Schedule
Thursday, March 9 - at No. 1 Hawaii - 7 PM local, Midnight ET
Friday, March 10 - vs. No. 2 UCLA - 4 PM local, 9 PM ET
Saturday, March 11 - vs. No. 3 Penn State - 4 PM local, 9 PM ET
Know Your Foes
• The best team in the country is 15-0 this season, including 10-0 on its home island. Hawaii is 6-0 against ranked teams this season and has only dropped four sets all year. The Rainbow Warriors are hitting .380 as a team, which is the second-best in the country. Spyros Chakas is averaging 4.23 kills per set.
• No. 2 UCLA is 17-1, with its only loss coming at Penn State in early February. UCLA beat the only MIVA team it has played, Ohio State, 3-1 earlier this season. The Bruins are the nation's leader with a .388 hitting percentage, led by Ido David, who is averaging 3.77 kills per set and a scorching .431 hitting clip. Former Mastodon Troy Gooch is leading UCLA and is second in the MPSF with 2.03 digs per set.
• No. 3 Penn State is 15-1 with a 4-0 start to EIVA play. The Nittany Lions' biggest win of the year came against No. 2 UCLA in the Big Ten/Pac 12 Challenge. Their only loss this season came to No. 3 Long Beach State a week earlier. PSU has won its last nine matches. Cal Fisher is averaging 3.03 kills per set for the Nittany Lions while hitting just below the team average of .332.
Series Histories
• Purdue Fort Wayne has played Hawaii twice, with the two teams splitting the all-time series 1-1. The Mastodons won a 3-1 contest in 1992 in San Diego, California and lost 3-0 in Hawaii in 2000.
• UCLA leads the all-time series against the Mastodons 5-1, with the 'Dons' only win coming in 2000 at the Outrigger Invitational. The two teams have only played neutral contests since 1994. The teams met three times in 1994, including the NCAA Tournament.
• Penn State leads the all-time series 45-16. The Mastodons won the last meeting in Fort Wayne 3-1 thanks to 19 kills from Pelegrin Vargas.
Outrigger Fun
The last time Purdue Fort Wayne played in the Outrigger (2000), the same four teams were in the field.
Block Party
Purdue Fort Wayne is third in the MIVA and 11th in the country with 2.30 blocks per set. Ryan Steponaitis (0.98), Bryce Walker (0.90) and Mark Frazier (0.79) are all in the top-20 in the MIVA in blocks per set.
Bryce the Beast
Bryce Walker has the best career hitting percentage among active MIVA players with at least two seasons with a .348 clip.
Now Walk It Out
Bryce Walker's career mark of 0.33 aces per set is the third-most among active middle blockers in the country and the most in the MIVA. This mark is also top-25 overall.
Zany Zach
Zach Solomon is the MIVA career leader with 0.38 aces per set
Yes, No (ah), Maybe
Noah Melendez is the active career leader in Division I/II with 720 digs in his five years. The next closest is McKendree's Francisco Comas with 679. Former Mastodon Troy Gooch is third with 652.
Serrrrrrg
Sergio Carrillo has the second-most career assists among all Division I/II student-athletes with 2,847 in his five seasons. Cole Bogner of Penn State is the active leader with 3,580.
He's Special
Jon Diedrich is sixth in the country and third in the MIVA with 5.06 points per set. Of MIVA players, he is only behind Loyola Chicago's Parker Van Buren and Quincy's Raje Alleyne.
Chasing 1,000
Jon Diedrich is on pace to join the 1,000-kill club while at Purdue Fort Wayne. He has 973 kills and has averaged 3.49 kills per set in his career. If he continues this pace, he will hit the 1,000 mark this week.
Defensive Stoppers
The Mastodons have more Defensive Player of the Week awards this season than any other school in the MIVA. The 'Dons have had three honorees, all different players, while no other school has had more than one selection this season.
Last Time Out
Purdue Fort Wayne went the distance at No. 9 Loyola Chicago, but fell to the Ramblers 3-2 in Chicago. Mark Frazier had a team-high 12 kills.
Coming Up
The Mastodons return to the Summit City to welcome Charleston and Loyola Chicago to the Gates Sports Center on March 17-18.
Outrigger Invitational Information
Host: Hawaii Rainbow Warriors
When: March 9-11
Where: Honolulu, Hawaii | SimpliFi Arena
Live Stats: Hawaii | UCLA | Penn State
Watch: ESPN+ (Hawaii match only)
Game Notes: Purdue Fort Wayne | Hawaii | UCLA | Penn State | MIVA
Tournament Schedule
Thursday, March 9 - at No. 1 Hawaii - 7 PM local, Midnight ET
Friday, March 10 - vs. No. 2 UCLA - 4 PM local, 9 PM ET
Saturday, March 11 - vs. No. 3 Penn State - 4 PM local, 9 PM ET
Know Your Foes
• The best team in the country is 15-0 this season, including 10-0 on its home island. Hawaii is 6-0 against ranked teams this season and has only dropped four sets all year. The Rainbow Warriors are hitting .380 as a team, which is the second-best in the country. Spyros Chakas is averaging 4.23 kills per set.
• No. 2 UCLA is 17-1, with its only loss coming at Penn State in early February. UCLA beat the only MIVA team it has played, Ohio State, 3-1 earlier this season. The Bruins are the nation's leader with a .388 hitting percentage, led by Ido David, who is averaging 3.77 kills per set and a scorching .431 hitting clip. Former Mastodon Troy Gooch is leading UCLA and is second in the MPSF with 2.03 digs per set.
• No. 3 Penn State is 15-1 with a 4-0 start to EIVA play. The Nittany Lions' biggest win of the year came against No. 2 UCLA in the Big Ten/Pac 12 Challenge. Their only loss this season came to No. 3 Long Beach State a week earlier. PSU has won its last nine matches. Cal Fisher is averaging 3.03 kills per set for the Nittany Lions while hitting just below the team average of .332.
Series Histories
• Purdue Fort Wayne has played Hawaii twice, with the two teams splitting the all-time series 1-1. The Mastodons won a 3-1 contest in 1992 in San Diego, California and lost 3-0 in Hawaii in 2000.
• UCLA leads the all-time series against the Mastodons 5-1, with the 'Dons' only win coming in 2000 at the Outrigger Invitational. The two teams have only played neutral contests since 1994. The teams met three times in 1994, including the NCAA Tournament.
• Penn State leads the all-time series 45-16. The Mastodons won the last meeting in Fort Wayne 3-1 thanks to 19 kills from Pelegrin Vargas.
Outrigger Fun
The last time Purdue Fort Wayne played in the Outrigger (2000), the same four teams were in the field.
Block Party
Purdue Fort Wayne is third in the MIVA and 11th in the country with 2.30 blocks per set. Ryan Steponaitis (0.98), Bryce Walker (0.90) and Mark Frazier (0.79) are all in the top-20 in the MIVA in blocks per set.
Bryce the Beast
Bryce Walker has the best career hitting percentage among active MIVA players with at least two seasons with a .348 clip.
Now Walk It Out
Bryce Walker's career mark of 0.33 aces per set is the third-most among active middle blockers in the country and the most in the MIVA. This mark is also top-25 overall.
Zany Zach
Zach Solomon is the MIVA career leader with 0.38 aces per set
Yes, No (ah), Maybe
Noah Melendez is the active career leader in Division I/II with 720 digs in his five years. The next closest is McKendree's Francisco Comas with 679. Former Mastodon Troy Gooch is third with 652.
Serrrrrrg
Sergio Carrillo has the second-most career assists among all Division I/II student-athletes with 2,847 in his five seasons. Cole Bogner of Penn State is the active leader with 3,580.
He's Special
Jon Diedrich is sixth in the country and third in the MIVA with 5.06 points per set. Of MIVA players, he is only behind Loyola Chicago's Parker Van Buren and Quincy's Raje Alleyne.
Chasing 1,000
Jon Diedrich is on pace to join the 1,000-kill club while at Purdue Fort Wayne. He has 973 kills and has averaged 3.49 kills per set in his career. If he continues this pace, he will hit the 1,000 mark this week.
Defensive Stoppers
The Mastodons have more Defensive Player of the Week awards this season than any other school in the MIVA. The 'Dons have had three honorees, all different players, while no other school has had more than one selection this season.
Last Time Out
Purdue Fort Wayne went the distance at No. 9 Loyola Chicago, but fell to the Ramblers 3-2 in Chicago. Mark Frazier had a team-high 12 kills.
Coming Up
The Mastodons return to the Summit City to welcome Charleston and Loyola Chicago to the Gates Sports Center on March 17-18.
~ Feel the Rumble ~
Players Mentioned
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