Box Score
Postgame interview with Coach Rumbaugh and Williams

LORETTO, Pa. (Jan. 13, 2012) – The Saint Francis University men's volleyball team opened the 2012 season with a resilient 3-2 win (25-18, 25-19, 28-30, 22-25, 15-10) over Ball State Friday night at DeGol Arena.

Tonight's home opening win snaps a five-match losing streak to the Cardinals (0-1), dating back to the 2009 season. Led by sophomore Logan Patterson (Derry, Pa./Derry Area)'s 16 kill night, the Red Flash (1-0) grabbed an early two sets to none lead and were poised for the shutout victory heading into the third set.

Down 22-18 as set number three neared its end, SFU put together a small three-point run to get them to within one of the Cardinals. Both teams exchanged a few more points back and forth until Ball State eyed up the set win with the score 24-23. A high energy kill from senior John Skarupa (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Allegehny) kept the Flash alive however and evened the score at 24. BSU and SFU each had chances to put the third set away but neither could pull ahead by the needed two-point margin until two Flash errors at the end of the set gave Ball State what they needed for the 30-28 win. Saint Francis registered 19 kills in the third set, its highest total in any set from tonight's match.

In the fourth set, SFU again looked to put away the match but did not hold a lead of any kind after the score reached past an 8-8 tie. It remained tightly contested and the Flash got to within one point of the Cardinals late in the set, but Ball State put away three of the last four points scored to take the 25-22 fourth set win and force the match into five frames.

Saint Francis grabbed a 6-5 lead in the fifth set and did not look back from there. SFU gave Ball State a few points here and there due to attack errors, but the Flash did what they had to do to earn themselves the 15-10 set win, thus giving them a 3-2 match victory and a 1-0 record to start the 2012 season.

Three SFU players reached double-digits in kills as Patterson had 16, senior Alex Kane (York, Pa./West York) followed closely behind with 15 and Skarupa tied a career-high with 13 kills. Additionally, Skarupa also tied his career-high in blocks on the night with a match-high six total (one solo, five assisted). As a team, SFU notched 12 blocks against Ball State. Senior setter Ryan Williams (Pittsburgh, Pa./Montour) tallied 56 assists on the night, registering nearly one assist on every one of SFU's successful kills. The Red Flash put down 61 team kills on the Cardinals, tying its season-high from last year when they put up the same number in a five-set win over Loyola Chicago.

Saint Francis continues its two-game opening home stand tomorrow night at 7 p.m. as IPFW visits DeGol Arena.