Mitchell Croft, Drew Blonski, Ryan Uridel
Mastodon MVB Welcomes Three Transfers for 2027
6/23/2026 2:18:00 PM | Men's Volleyball
FORT WAYNE, Ind. - Purdue Fort Wayne men's volleyball head coach Donny Gleason has announced that three transfers will join the Mastodons for the 2027 season: Drew Blonski (Manhattan), Ryan Uridel (Barry) and Mitchell Croft (Hawaii).
"We are excited about our incoming transfer class," Gleason said. "We needed to bring more competition and depth into our practice gym, and we anticipate that our transfers will push for starting positions right out the gate," Gleason said. "All three athletes seem to be a great fit for the culture we are building and will help position Purdue Fort Wayne to challenge for a MIVA title this upcoming season."
Blonski is 6-foot-5 setter from Franklin, Wisconsin. He was the primary setter for the Manhattan Jaspers last season, who he led to a 9-16 record in their first year of men's volleyball. As a freshman, Blonski dished out 9.44 assists per set, with a season-high of 56 in a five-set loss at Sacred Heart. He attended Marquette University High School, where he was an honor roll student in each of his eight semester and earned the Service and Justice Award, Greater Metro Conference All-Scholars award three times, and was an All-State Academic Team selection. Blonski primarily played club ball for MVC and finished his club career at Badger Region High Performance. He was an AAU All-American in 2025, leading his squad to a fifth place finish at the U18 Premier Nationals and championships at the Dennis Lafata Premier, Brickyard Battle Premier and Badger Region Championships. He will come to Fort Wayne with three years of eligibility.
"After getting to run the show for an entire season at his previous school, Drew brings in some much-needed experience at the setter position," Gleason said. "When we talked ball during his recruiting process, it was clear that he has a great mind for the game. We are excited to see what he can do with our crew of attackers once he learns our offensive system."
Uridel is a 6-foot-5 middle blocker out of Stow, Ohio. He spent the last two years at Barry, but only played one due to injury. He will join the Mastodons as a redshirt-sophomore. In his freshman season with the Buccaneers, he led the team with a .338 hitting percentage on over a kill per set. He had a season-high 12 kills against St. John Fisher. At Stow-Munroe Falls High School, Uridel was a two-time dean's list honoree while helping his team to a 23-2 mark in his senior season. He also played club volleyball for Everest (2017-20) and A-10 (2023-24).
"Ryan will bring a dynamic presence to our middle blocker position," Gleason said. "His lateral quickness as a blocker and heavy arm will help rev up the physicality in our gym. It was clear during the recruiting process that Ryan is always looking to learn and expand his game, which will fit in well with our program."
Croft is a 6-foot-9 athlete that can play either pin or in the middle. After spending his freshman season at MacEwan in Edmonton, Canada, he won Big West and National Championships with Hawaii as a sophomore. Hed led MacEwan with 3.69 kills per set and was named to the Canada West All-Rookie Team. He set the program's freshman record with 240 kills in his first year of collegiate volleyball. The native of Melbourne, Australia played club volleyball for the Melbourne Renegades and State League Team in Victoria. He also earned a spot on the Australian Senior National Team. He will come to Purdue Fort Wayne as a redshirt-sophomore.
"Mitch will be coming into the program with some high-level experience, both from playing at Hawaii and getting to participate with the Australian national team this summer," Gleason said. "Coming in with such a well-rounded game, he'll be able to train at all the attacking positions to see where he can have the greatest impact for our team."
Blonski, Uridel and Croft will join freshmen Mateo Foronda and Nolan Cocat as the newcomers for the 2027 campaign, the 47th edition of Mastodon men's volleyball.
"We are excited about our incoming transfer class," Gleason said. "We needed to bring more competition and depth into our practice gym, and we anticipate that our transfers will push for starting positions right out the gate," Gleason said. "All three athletes seem to be a great fit for the culture we are building and will help position Purdue Fort Wayne to challenge for a MIVA title this upcoming season."
Blonski is 6-foot-5 setter from Franklin, Wisconsin. He was the primary setter for the Manhattan Jaspers last season, who he led to a 9-16 record in their first year of men's volleyball. As a freshman, Blonski dished out 9.44 assists per set, with a season-high of 56 in a five-set loss at Sacred Heart. He attended Marquette University High School, where he was an honor roll student in each of his eight semester and earned the Service and Justice Award, Greater Metro Conference All-Scholars award three times, and was an All-State Academic Team selection. Blonski primarily played club ball for MVC and finished his club career at Badger Region High Performance. He was an AAU All-American in 2025, leading his squad to a fifth place finish at the U18 Premier Nationals and championships at the Dennis Lafata Premier, Brickyard Battle Premier and Badger Region Championships. He will come to Fort Wayne with three years of eligibility.
"After getting to run the show for an entire season at his previous school, Drew brings in some much-needed experience at the setter position," Gleason said. "When we talked ball during his recruiting process, it was clear that he has a great mind for the game. We are excited to see what he can do with our crew of attackers once he learns our offensive system."
Uridel is a 6-foot-5 middle blocker out of Stow, Ohio. He spent the last two years at Barry, but only played one due to injury. He will join the Mastodons as a redshirt-sophomore. In his freshman season with the Buccaneers, he led the team with a .338 hitting percentage on over a kill per set. He had a season-high 12 kills against St. John Fisher. At Stow-Munroe Falls High School, Uridel was a two-time dean's list honoree while helping his team to a 23-2 mark in his senior season. He also played club volleyball for Everest (2017-20) and A-10 (2023-24).
"Ryan will bring a dynamic presence to our middle blocker position," Gleason said. "His lateral quickness as a blocker and heavy arm will help rev up the physicality in our gym. It was clear during the recruiting process that Ryan is always looking to learn and expand his game, which will fit in well with our program."
Croft is a 6-foot-9 athlete that can play either pin or in the middle. After spending his freshman season at MacEwan in Edmonton, Canada, he won Big West and National Championships with Hawaii as a sophomore. Hed led MacEwan with 3.69 kills per set and was named to the Canada West All-Rookie Team. He set the program's freshman record with 240 kills in his first year of collegiate volleyball. The native of Melbourne, Australia played club volleyball for the Melbourne Renegades and State League Team in Victoria. He also earned a spot on the Australian Senior National Team. He will come to Purdue Fort Wayne as a redshirt-sophomore.
"Mitch will be coming into the program with some high-level experience, both from playing at Hawaii and getting to participate with the Australian national team this summer," Gleason said. "Coming in with such a well-rounded game, he'll be able to train at all the attacking positions to see where he can have the greatest impact for our team."
Blonski, Uridel and Croft will join freshmen Mateo Foronda and Nolan Cocat as the newcomers for the 2027 campaign, the 47th edition of Mastodon men's volleyball.
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