Friday, January 31
Cambridge, Mass.
4 PM
Purdue Fort Wayne
vs
Saint Francis (Pa.)
Caleb Lipscomb
Men's Volleyball Travels to Cambridge for the Harvard Invitational
1/29/2025 3:44:00 PM | Men's Volleyball
FORT WAYNE, Ind. - The Purdue Fort Wayne men's volleyball team will face Saint Francis (Pa.) and No.19 Harvard this weekend at the Harvard Invitational.
Game Day Information
Who: Saint Francis (Pa.) Red Flash and Harvard Crimson
When: Friday, January 31 - 4 PM | Saturday, February 1 - 7 PM
Where: Cambridge, Mass.
Live Stats: Link
Watch: ESPN+ (Friday) | ESPN+ (Saturday)
Game Notes: Purdue Fort Wayne | MIVA
Know Your Foes
• Saint Francis (Pa.) has started off 1-6 this season, with losses to ranked opponents: No. 18 UC San Diego, No. 1 UCLA, No. 2 Long Beach State and No. 8 Loyola Chicago. The Red Flash's best hitter on the season, senior Michael Mosbacher, leads the team in both kills (63) and kills per set (2.63). Freshman setter Kyle Charles has led Saint Francis (Pa.) in assists with 138, a 7.26 per set mark.
• Harvard has started off the season 2-2, both losses coming at the hands of No. 4 Hawaii. The Crimson's best hitter on the season, senior Logan Shepherd, leads the team in kills (54) and hitting percentage (.373). James Bardin has 93 assists in his 11 sets played this season.
Series Histories
• The Mastodons hold the lead in the series history between the Red Flash 16-7. Last season's meeting between the schools resulted in a five-set Purdue Fort Wayne victory on the Arnie Ball Court. Andrej Polomac finished the match with 27 assists. Michael Mosbacher had 11 kills for SFU.
• The 'Dons hold a 5-2 series over the Crimson, winning the last four meetings. The only player on this year's roster to play in that match was Emmanuel Jurineack, who contributed five kills and three blocks.
He Can Do It
JP Candrian earned his first MIVA Player of the Week award, earning Defensive Player of the Week (Jan. 28). Candrian led the Mastodons to a 2-0 week, beating both LIU (Jan. 23) and Lees-McRae (Jan. 25) on the Arnie Ball Court. The freshman averaged 2.67 digs during the stretch, collecting 16 in the five-set victory over LIU. The 16 digs ranks as the third-most in an NCAA match this season. The Florida native added 0.67 blocks per set to his weekly totals.
Last Time Out
The Mastodons won both matches during their homestand. The first being a five-set victory over LIU (Jan. 23), where The 'Dons denied two LIU match points in the fourth set and rallied from a 7-3 deficit in the fifth. Axel Melendez Watts finished the night with a career-high 26 kills on a .404 percentage. Hunter Hopkins (59 assists and 13 digs) and JP Candrian (16 digs and 14 kills) both posted double-doubles in the contest. Purdue Fort Wayne showed off their serving capabilities in the next win, over Lees-McRae (Jan. 25). The 'Dons ended with 12 aces in their three set match, most since the 2022 season. This mark also ranks third-most in a three-set match in program history and the ninth-most in a match of any length. Purdue Fort Wayne finished the match hitting .453 as a team and holding the Bobcats to a .000 hitting percentage.
Coming Up
Purdue Fort Wayne begins MIVA competition with a trip to No. 8 Ball State (Feb. 6).
Game Day Information
Who: Saint Francis (Pa.) Red Flash and Harvard Crimson
When: Friday, January 31 - 4 PM | Saturday, February 1 - 7 PM
Where: Cambridge, Mass.
Live Stats: Link
Watch: ESPN+ (Friday) | ESPN+ (Saturday)
Game Notes: Purdue Fort Wayne | MIVA
Know Your Foes
• Saint Francis (Pa.) has started off 1-6 this season, with losses to ranked opponents: No. 18 UC San Diego, No. 1 UCLA, No. 2 Long Beach State and No. 8 Loyola Chicago. The Red Flash's best hitter on the season, senior Michael Mosbacher, leads the team in both kills (63) and kills per set (2.63). Freshman setter Kyle Charles has led Saint Francis (Pa.) in assists with 138, a 7.26 per set mark.
• Harvard has started off the season 2-2, both losses coming at the hands of No. 4 Hawaii. The Crimson's best hitter on the season, senior Logan Shepherd, leads the team in kills (54) and hitting percentage (.373). James Bardin has 93 assists in his 11 sets played this season.
Series Histories
• The Mastodons hold the lead in the series history between the Red Flash 16-7. Last season's meeting between the schools resulted in a five-set Purdue Fort Wayne victory on the Arnie Ball Court. Andrej Polomac finished the match with 27 assists. Michael Mosbacher had 11 kills for SFU.
• The 'Dons hold a 5-2 series over the Crimson, winning the last four meetings. The only player on this year's roster to play in that match was Emmanuel Jurineack, who contributed five kills and three blocks.
He Can Do It
JP Candrian earned his first MIVA Player of the Week award, earning Defensive Player of the Week (Jan. 28). Candrian led the Mastodons to a 2-0 week, beating both LIU (Jan. 23) and Lees-McRae (Jan. 25) on the Arnie Ball Court. The freshman averaged 2.67 digs during the stretch, collecting 16 in the five-set victory over LIU. The 16 digs ranks as the third-most in an NCAA match this season. The Florida native added 0.67 blocks per set to his weekly totals.
Last Time Out
The Mastodons won both matches during their homestand. The first being a five-set victory over LIU (Jan. 23), where The 'Dons denied two LIU match points in the fourth set and rallied from a 7-3 deficit in the fifth. Axel Melendez Watts finished the night with a career-high 26 kills on a .404 percentage. Hunter Hopkins (59 assists and 13 digs) and JP Candrian (16 digs and 14 kills) both posted double-doubles in the contest. Purdue Fort Wayne showed off their serving capabilities in the next win, over Lees-McRae (Jan. 25). The 'Dons ended with 12 aces in their three set match, most since the 2022 season. This mark also ranks third-most in a three-set match in program history and the ninth-most in a match of any length. Purdue Fort Wayne finished the match hitting .453 as a team and holding the Bobcats to a .000 hitting percentage.
Coming Up
Purdue Fort Wayne begins MIVA competition with a trip to No. 8 Ball State (Feb. 6).
~ Feel the Rumble ~
Players Mentioned
OH
/ Men's Volleyball
S
/ Men's Volleyball
MB
/ Men's Volleyball
OH
/ Men's Volleyball
S
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