Game Day Information (Friday 1)
Who: Kent State Golden Flashes
When: Friday, September 8 | 12 PM
Where: Buffalo, New York | Koessler Athletic Center
Live Stats: Link
Watch: Link
Match Notes: Purdue Fort Wayne | Kent State
Game Day Information (Friday 2)
Who: Niagara Purple Eagles
When: Friday, September 8 | 6 PM
Where: Niagara University, New York | Gallagher Center
Live Stats: Link
Watch: Link
Match Notes: Purdue Fort Wayne | Niagara
Game Day Information (Saturday)
Who: Canisius Golden Griffins
When: Saturday, September 9 | 12 PM
Where: Buffalo, New York | Koessler Athletic Center
Live Stats: Link
Watch: Link
Match Notes: Purdue Fort Wayne | Canisius
Know Your Foes
• Kent State picked up their first win of the season last weekend against South Dakota State. They hold a 1-5 record on the season through the first two weekends.
• Niagara is still searching for their first win in the 2023 season. They’ve played three matches at two different tournaments so far.
• Canisius won two of their first three matches at the Youngstown State Invitational, but weren’t able to win any of their last three games at the Duquesne/RMU Invitational.
Series Histories
• Purdue Fort Wayne and Kent State are an even 4-4 in their eight meetings. Kent State won the most recent meeting back in 2021.
• The Mastodons won the only matchup with Niagara back in 2018 in four sets.
• Canisius won the first meeting with Purdue Fort Wayne last season.
Panna’s Performance
Panna Ratkai of the Purdue Fort Wayne women’s volleyball team was named one of the Horizon League’s Players of the Week after being named the Red Flash Classic MVP last weekend. The redshirt-freshman averaged 4.69 kills per set with a .397 hitting percentage over 13 sets of play. Ratkai is the first Mastodon to win a Player of the Week award as a freshman since Rachael Crucis in 2019.
Seeing Double
Panna Ratkai posted double-doubles in back-to-back games last weekend. In the Mastodons’ match against Stony Brook, she had a double-double with 18 kills and 16 digs while hitting .400. In the following match against Saint Francis (Pa.), Ratkai managed a season-high 22 kills with 10 digs and still hit .364.
High Hitting Percentage
Through the first two weekends of play, the Mastodons boast the Horizon League’s best hitting percentage of .259. Three players (Castleman, McCants, Riegel) are hitting over .300 so far in the season while three more (Ratkai, Stratford, Larsen) are hitting over .250.
Set Up For Success
Taya Haffner ranks third in the conference with an average of 8.48 assists per set through the season’s first six matches. She’s had three matches of 30 or more assists including her season high of 53 against Stony Brook.
Textbook Teamwork
In last weekend’s win over Stony Brook, three Mastodons finished with double-digit kills. Maggie Castleman led the team with 24, Panna Ratkai added 18, while Iris Riegel finished with 17.
Early Season Tournaments
The Mastodons will start the season with four weekend tournaments. Last weekend, Purdue Fort Wayne faced Oklahoma, Gonzaga and Ball State at the Ball State Invitational. Last weekend, the Mastodons matched up with Stony Brook, Saint Francis (Pa.) and Manhattan at the Red Flash Classic. This weekend (September 8 and 9), the ‘Dons square off with Kent State, Niagara and Canisius at the Ellicott Hotels Western New York Invitational. Finally, The ‘Dons return home to host the Purdue Fort Wayne Invitational Presented by Hyatt Place for matches against Miami (OH), SIUE and Valparaiso.
Gates Glory
The Purdue Fort Wayne Invitational Presented by Hyatt Place will be the first of 12 home matches at Gates Sports Center. The Mastodons saw more than half of their wins last season come at home.
She Digs It
LonDynn Betts totaled more than 20 digs for the first time this season in last weekend’s win over Saint Francis (Pa.) Betts had 21 digs to help the ‘Dons capture a five set win.
Block Party
The Mastodons had a season high 10 blocks in the win over Saint Francis (Pa.). Abby Stratford led the team with five, Jena Medearis had four blocks, and Iris Riegel also had three.
Horizon Leaders
Panna Ratkai currently leads the conference with 3.91 kills per set, a number that also ranks 61st in the nation. Iris Riegel is also 15th in the conference with 2.64.
1000 Program Wins
The Mastodons enter this weekend with 998 wins in program history. Two wins in the next three games would give the program 1000 wins in Purdue Fort Wayne’s 47 year history.
Last Time Out
Purdue Fort Wayne swept last weekend’s matches at the Red Flash Classic. The Mastodons won four set matches against Stony Brook and Manhattan and also grounded out a five set win over St. Francis.
Coming Up
Purdue Fort Wayne returns home next week to host the Purdue Fort Wayne Invitational Presented by Hyatt Place for matches against Miami (OH), SIUE and Valparaiso.
~ Feel the Rumble ~