Loretto, Pa. – In part two of the Red Flash's season opening weekend against the Lewis College Flyers, Saint Francis unfortunately suffered the opposite effect from their first game, getting swept by their non-conference opponent 3-0 (30-21, 32-30, 30-26).
The early moments of the first game hosted an assertive array of sophomore outside hitter Jordan Varee (Meadville, Pa./Conneaut Valley) kills, keeping the momentum for the Flash. Senior hitter Mark Steele (Martinsburg, Pa./Central Martinsburg) sprinkled in a few pinpoint swings to keep the Flyers at bay. Lewis then capitalized on some easy points due to SFU's unforced errors toward the midpoint of the game, altering the energy in favor of the Flyers. Lewis' Drew Pickering smoked an ace past SFU's libero Markus Schulze (Berlin, Germany/Anne-Frank) to give the Flyers a 25-17 lead. Lewis College never looked back, taking Game 1 by a 30-21 tally. Varee led the Flash's offensive charge with four kills on 10 attempts (.300).
Sophomore middle hitter Patrick McManamon (Huntington, Pa./Huntington) earned SFU's first service ace to break the 5-5 tie in game two, transferring the pace of offensive play towards SFU's side to give them a 12-8 lead. Numerous breath-taking volleys from the midway section of the game knotted the game at 30 all, but a sadistic kill by Lewis' David Kelnhofer ended the 32-30 tally and notched a 2-0 advantage for the Flyers heading into Game 3. Sophomore outside hitter Nick Rivett (Pittsburgh, Pa./Fox Chapel) and McManamon each inked the first service aces for the Flash in Game 2.
The Flash bolted out to a 4-2 lead in the third tilt, but as the game continued, two consecutive blocks from the Flyers drew the game to an 8 all affair. The Flyers came on strong with kills coming from both sides, boosting them to a 27-20 advantage. McManamon's bold block gave the Flash a three point shift, but Alex Vigansky finished off the Flash 30-26 in the last game of the Red Flash's second match of the season.
Saint Francis swept Rutgers-Newark during Friday's initial contest of the season, but tonight's blow from the Lewis Flyers grounded the Flash back to an even 1-1 to start off their young 2008 campaign.
Saint Francis (1-1) takes to the road for their first away contest when they take on Ball State on Satuday, January 19 at 7:00pm. The Flash do battle with Ball State's intrastate partner, at Ohio State, on Sunday, January 20 at 7:00pm.
