Friday, January 10
Fort Wayne, Ind.
7 PM
Purdue Fort Wayne
1-0,0-0MIVA
3
vs
1
Central State
0-2,0-0SIAC
1
2
3
4
F
Central St. (OH)
18
25
14
20
1
Purdue Fort Wayne
25
23
25
25
3
Axel Melendez Watts
Photo by: Josh Gales
Mastodons Win Season Opener Over Central State
1/10/2025 9:39:00 PM | Men's Volleyball
FORT WAYNE, Ind. - The Purdue Fort Wayne men's volleyball team started the 2025 season with a 3-1 (25-18, 23-25, 25-14, 25-20) victory over Central State on Friday (Jan. 10).
The decision gave Mastodon head coach Donny Gleason a victory in his first match leading the 'Dons.
The Mastodons fired off 10 aces in the match, tying last season's high. Andrej Polomac led the team with three aces, while Caleb Lipscomb and JP Candrian added two a piece. Both Polomac (36 assists and 11 digs) and Axel Melendez Watts (10 kills and 10 digs) posted double-doubles against the Marauders.
The 'Dons jumped out to a 6-1 lead to start the match and continued to hold onto that lead for the remainder of the set. Purdue Fort Wayne forced the first timeout with a 11-6 lead following a 4-0 Mastodon run at the hands of Casey Lyon's serves.
Central State's Toulmin Williams IV led all players after set one with four kills. The 'Dons boasted three aces and a .320 hitting percentage on the way to a 25-18 first set.
The Marauders managed to keep the second set of the night, holding the largest lead of the set at 10-7. Williams IV served a three-point Central State run, forcing the Mastodons to call a timeout down 19-17. Following the timeout, Melendez Watts took control of the offense by stringing together three kills. Central State leveled the contest by winning the second set and Tyrone Sands led all players with nine kills.
Logan Muir brought some power to the Mastodon offense in the third set, contributing seven kills and an early ace. Purdue Fort Wayne forced the first timeout of the set with a 12-6 lead, three kills and an ace coming from Muir. The 'Dons proceeded to end the set on a 13-5 run, taking the third set by 11.
Polomac secured his double-double during this run and three aces up to this point, eight as a team. The Mastodons held Central State to a match low .130 hitting percentage in the third set.
The Marauders proved to not be out of the match yet, only being down one at the media timeout (15-14). The Mastodons finished out a competitive fourth set by spreading the ball around to several scoring options, having five players with a kill in the final set and a .421 hitting percentage. Purdue Fort Wayne took the first victory of the season after finishing the fourth set 25-20.
Both Polomac (11) and Melendez Watts (10) set a career high in digs. Muir had a career high offensive night with eight kills. Candrian posted 10 kills in his first match with the Mastodons.
Sands was the match's leading scorer, finishing the night with 16 kills.
Purdue Fort Wayne improves to 1-0 on the year. Central State falls to 0-2. The Mastodons will travel to California next week to take on The Master's (Jan. 16), No. 15 CSUN (Jan. 17) and No. 18 UC San Diego (Jan. 18).
~ Feel the Rumble ~
The decision gave Mastodon head coach Donny Gleason a victory in his first match leading the 'Dons.
The Mastodons fired off 10 aces in the match, tying last season's high. Andrej Polomac led the team with three aces, while Caleb Lipscomb and JP Candrian added two a piece. Both Polomac (36 assists and 11 digs) and Axel Melendez Watts (10 kills and 10 digs) posted double-doubles against the Marauders.
The 'Dons jumped out to a 6-1 lead to start the match and continued to hold onto that lead for the remainder of the set. Purdue Fort Wayne forced the first timeout with a 11-6 lead following a 4-0 Mastodon run at the hands of Casey Lyon's serves.
Central State's Toulmin Williams IV led all players after set one with four kills. The 'Dons boasted three aces and a .320 hitting percentage on the way to a 25-18 first set.
The Marauders managed to keep the second set of the night, holding the largest lead of the set at 10-7. Williams IV served a three-point Central State run, forcing the Mastodons to call a timeout down 19-17. Following the timeout, Melendez Watts took control of the offense by stringing together three kills. Central State leveled the contest by winning the second set and Tyrone Sands led all players with nine kills.
Logan Muir brought some power to the Mastodon offense in the third set, contributing seven kills and an early ace. Purdue Fort Wayne forced the first timeout of the set with a 12-6 lead, three kills and an ace coming from Muir. The 'Dons proceeded to end the set on a 13-5 run, taking the third set by 11.
Polomac secured his double-double during this run and three aces up to this point, eight as a team. The Mastodons held Central State to a match low .130 hitting percentage in the third set.
The Marauders proved to not be out of the match yet, only being down one at the media timeout (15-14). The Mastodons finished out a competitive fourth set by spreading the ball around to several scoring options, having five players with a kill in the final set and a .421 hitting percentage. Purdue Fort Wayne took the first victory of the season after finishing the fourth set 25-20.
Both Polomac (11) and Melendez Watts (10) set a career high in digs. Muir had a career high offensive night with eight kills. Candrian posted 10 kills in his first match with the Mastodons.
Sands was the match's leading scorer, finishing the night with 16 kills.
Purdue Fort Wayne improves to 1-0 on the year. Central State falls to 0-2. The Mastodons will travel to California next week to take on The Master's (Jan. 16), No. 15 CSUN (Jan. 17) and No. 18 UC San Diego (Jan. 18).
~ Feel the Rumble ~
Team Stats
CentSt
Pur-FW
Kills
42
42
Errors
23
14
Attempts
106
96
Hitting %
.179
.292
Points
55.0
62.0
Assists
42
41
Aces
4
10
Blocks
9
10
Game Leaders
Kills-Aces-Blocks
Kills
10
Aces
1
Blocks
1
Kills
10
Aces
2
Blocks
2
Kills
8
Aces
1
Blocks
3
Kills
6
Aces
2
Blocks
3
Players Mentioned
OH
/ Men's VolleyballMB
/ Men's VolleyballOH
/ Men's VolleyballOPP
/ Men's Volleyball
S
/ 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
