LORETTO, Pa. (April 19, 2010) - The first round of the EIVA tournament has been set, and as suspected, the Saint Francis men's volleyball team will travel to Springfield, Mass. to take on the Springfield Pride in the quarterfinals of the EIVA Tournament.  The match is scheduled for Saturday, April 24.  Time is yet to be determined.

Both teams finished 4-6 in the EIVA Tait this season, with Springfield winning the tiebreaker because of a three-way tie between George Mason, Saint Francis, and Springfield; in head-to-head sets played, George Mason finished first, Springfield second, and Saint Francis third.

"Because the conference is so even this year, we feel like anybody can beat anyone else," said Saint Francis head coach Mike Rumbaugh.  "It was very even this year."

The Red Flash and Pride split their earlier two meetings in 2010; in an odd coincidence, each team was the opponent in the other's Senior Day celebrations.  In each instance, the road team came out victorious; Springfield won the match in Loretto 3-1 (30-16, 28-30, 28-30, 28-30), while Saint Francis won the match in Springfield 3-0 (30-27, 30-28, 30-21).

"I don't know how that works out, in all honesty," said Rumbaugh.  "They've got a very tough gym to play in, because their student body gets excited about volleyball and they make it tough."