Box Score
Postgame interview with Rumbaugh

LORETTO, Pa. (Feb. 10, 2012) – The Saint Francis University men's volleyball team opened Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association play with a 3-1 (25-21, 25-23, 22-25, 25-22) victory over visiting NJIT Friday night at DeGol Arena.

In the opening set, the Red Flash (4-6, 1-0 EIVA) and the Highlanders (4-4, 0-1) tussled back and forth for the majority of
the set. Neither team could string enough points together to gain a comfortable margin over the other. Saint Francis held a 20-16 lead when NJIT began to make a run, and brought the score to as close as one point. A service ace from Kyle Beatty (Meadville, PA/Saegertown) propelled the Flash to the 1-0 advantage in the early stages of the match.

The second set proved to be even more tightly contested than the first. In all, 11 lead changes took place in set number two. NJIT kept the score close as the set neared its end, staying within one or two points. Mark Kochan put down SFU's final point of the set to close out the back and forth struggle and give the Flash a 2-0 lead heading into the third set.

NJIT started set number three with a solid kill to an open spot on the court. Similar to the previous two sets, the third saw both teams with even play. The Highlanders built up a 10-7 lead before SFU head coach Mike Rumbaugh called a timeout. Coming out of the timeout, the Red Flash and Highlanders regained their usual exchange of points back and forth. NJIT began to pull away from Saint Francis shortly thereafter, taking a 19-14 lead before another SFU timeout. The Flash took three of the first four points scored after that short break and brought the score to within one point before NJIT called a timeout of its own. Kochan put up a huge block to then tie the score at 21. The Highlanders would not go down quietly though and earned the last few points to take the set 25-22.

As was the story of the entire match, the fourth set came down to the wire. Saint Francis relinquished a 19-13 lead at one point and allowed NJIT to come within one point near the end of the set, 22-21. Junior Adam Roche (Cochranton, Pa./Cochranton) closed out the set and match for the Flash by way of the final kill, giving SFU the 3-1 win.

Senior Alex Kane (York, Pa./West York) put up 17 kills, one off his season-high pace of 18 that he grabbed a few weeks ago at Ohio State. Kane hit at a .387 clip for the match and is joined with Roche as the only Red Flash players to post double-digit kill numbers as Roche finished with 10. Roche had a strong game defensively as well, registering eight total blocks, tied with Kochan for the team-best on the night. Although Kochan did not reach double-digit kill figures, he did end the match with the highest SFU attack percentage at .538, tallying nine kills on 13 swings. Senior setter Ryan Williams (Pittsburgh, Pa./Montour) picked up a match-high 46 assists in the win and added six blocking assists. As a team, the Flash recorded 17 total blocks, setting a new season-high mark.

Saint Francis concludes its four-game home stand tomorrow afternoon as they welcome in the Scarlet Raiders of Rutgers-Newark for another EIVA contest starting at 4 p.m. in DeGol Arena.