Purdue Fort Wayne: A Playbook for Athletic Excellence

FORT WAYNE, Ind. – The Purdue Fort Wayne men’s volleyball team will be heading to the Under Armour Challenge on January 17-18, which is hosted by CSUN. 

Match Day Details

Who: No. 15 CSUN Matadors and No. 17 UC San Diego Tritons

When: Friday, January 17 – 10 PM ET | Saturday, January 18 – 7 PM ET

Where: Northridge, Calif.

Live Stats: Link

Watch: ESPN+ (Friday) | ESPN+ (Saturday)

Game Notes: Purdue Fort Wayne | MIVA

Understand Your Opponents

• CSUN has maintained their AVCA ranking of No. 15 nationally, having only lost one set in their last three matchups. The Matadors have a .418 hitting percentage early in the season. Freshman Stilian Delibosov ranks fourth in the nation for hitting percentage (.571) and third in blocks per set (1.9). Jalen Phillips is fourth nationally in kills per set (4.7) and fifth in points per set (5.2). Senior Donovan Constable ranks fifth in the nation for assists per set with 11.2).
• UC San Diego is currently positioned at No. 17 nationally, achieving sweeps in all four of their victories. The Tritons have triumphed over McKendree (RV) and No. 18 George Mason. The team has kept opposing teams to an average hitting percentage of .107. Grad student Bryce Dvorak ranks third in the nation for aces per set with 1.083.

Series Records

• CSUN leads the series history 11-3, having enjoyed an eight-game winning streak from 1991-2006. Purdue Fort Wayne secured their most recent matchup in 2020 with a 3-0 victory.
• Purdue Fort Wayne leads the series against UC San Diego 5-1, with their only loss occurring in their first encounter in 1986.

Mastodon Introductions
Caleb Lipscomb and JP Candrian made their debuts for the Mastodons against Central State in the season opener. Candrian achieved 10 kills with a .333 hitting percentage, alongside three digs, two aces, and two blocks in his first collegiate match. Lipscomb recorded six kills on eight attempts, with three digs, three blocks, and two aces.

New Faces

Head coach Donny Gleason, along with assistant coach Jake Gleason and graduate assistant coach Jon Diedrich, are all starting their inaugural year in their respective coaching roles for the Mastodons. Additionally, Purdue Fort Wayne is adding five new athletes to the roster. Transfers Caleb Lipscomb (Thomas More) and Haven Wankerl (D’Youville) join a freshman group that includes: JP Candrian, Nick Gutka, and Hunter Hopkins.

Previous Match Review

The Mastodons achieved victory in their season opener against Central State (Jan. 10) last week. Two Mastodons recorded double-doubles in the match, Andrej Polomac (11 digs and 36 assists) and Axel Melendez Watts (10 digs and 10 kills). Both players established career-high dig totals during the game.

Upcoming Events

Purdue Fort Wayne will welcome LIU next week on Thursday, January 23 at the Gates Sports Center.

~ Feel the Rumble ~