Match 10 + 11
#13 Lindenwood (8-1, 2-0 MIVA)
at. Purdue Fort Wayne (6-2, 1-0 MIVA)/ #9 Ball State (10-1, 2-0 MIVA) 
Match Information:
Date: Thursday, February 12, 2026. / Friday, February 13, 2026.
Location: Fort Wayne, IN. / Munice, IN.
Venue: Gates Sports Center / Worthen Arena
First Serve: 6:00 PM CT / 5:00 PM CT.
All-Time Series: 13-15 / 5-25
Last Meeting: W, 3-1 / L, 1-3
Live Stats: #13 Lindenwood @ Purdue Fort Wayne / #13 Lindenwood @ #9 Ball State
Watch: ESPN+

Last Time Out
Lindenwood Men's Volleyball swept #11 Lewis in three sets inside Hyland Arena last Friday to improve to 8-1 overall and 2-0 in the MIVA. The Lions have started off 2-0 in the MIVA for the first time since the 2020 season and have moved up to #13 in the latest AVCA National Collegiate Men's Volleyball poll, which is their highest ranking in program history. Luke Kraft and Brendan Louthain led the way for Lindenwood in the match against the Flyers, each recording 10 or more kills, with Kraft hitting .688 on 16 total attempts, resulting in 12 kills for the Junior Opposite Hitter.

Lindenwood also posted a season-high 14 service aces in the match against Lewis, as Zach Solomon and Owen Walsh each had five service aces to lead the Lions. Solomon was recently named not only the MIVA Offensive Player of the Week on Tuesday morning, but he was also named the AVCA National Men's Volleyball player of the Week, marking the first time that a Lindenwood Men's Volleyball player has ever won that award in program history. The Senior Setter finished the week with 84 assists and five service aces to help the Lions pick up two upset wins over #7 Loyola and #11 Lewis. He also averaged 12 assists per set in seven sets played for the week.
 
Scouting The Mastodons and Cardinals
Purdue Fort Wayne has won four straight matches, with their last loss happening in St. Charles to #12 CSUN by a score of 3-1. The Mastodons picked up their first ranked win of the season back on January 23, where they took down #20 Charleston in four sets on their home floor to improve to 5-1 inside Gates Sports Center. Purdue Fort Wayne also started MIVA play with a win over Northern Kentucky in three sets and currently sits in third place in the conference standings, trailing only #13 Lindenwood and #9 Ball State.

The Mastodons are led by Outside/Opposite Hitter Owen Banner, who has 97 kills in 29 sets played this season. Banner has recorded 10 or more kills in every match played outside of one and leads PFW in points scored (119.5), service aces (11), and kills per set (3.34). Defensively, Middle Blocker Casey Lyons has 31 blocks on the 2026 season and has recorded eight or more blocks in two matches so far in 2026. As a team, the Mastodons are hitting .309 to go along with 87 blocks and 250 digs.

Meanwhile, #9 Ball State is sitting in first place in the MIVA with a conference record of 2-0 and an overall record of 10-1. Their lone loss on the season has come to UCLA back on January 17 by a score of 3-1. The Cardinals have won seven straight matches since falling to the Bruins and have swept six straight opponents. Ball State has one of the best statistical hitters in the MIVA in Outside Hitter Patrick Rogers. Rogers is a two-time All-MIVA First Team selection and ranks second this season in the MIVA with a hitting percentage of .477. The Senior from Rutherford, NJ has 141 kills on the 2026 season, which ranks second in the MIVA. As a team, the Cardinals lead the MIVA overall in total points (670.5), kills (509), assists (469), and hitting percentage (.396).. 

The Lions have won four straight matches over Purdue Fort Wayne dating back to March 29, 2024, while last beating Ball State on April 18, 2024.
 
Stats to Know

• Zach Solomon is the only Offensive player in the MIVA this season to win multiple MIVA Offensive Player of the Week awards.
• Lindenwood jumped up to #13 in the AVCA polls, which marks their highest ranking in Program history.
• Through two MIVA matches, the Lions lead the conference in service aces (21), kills (96), assists (93), hitting percentage (.367), and points (130).
• Brendan Louthain leads the MIVA during conference play in kills with 29.

Up Next
The Lions will return to St. Charles next Thursday for a home match against MIVA opponent McKendree. First serve is set for 6 p.m. CT and will be streamed on ESPN+.