Box Score

LORETTO, Pa. (Feb. 25, 2012) - The Saint Francis University men's volleyball team dropped a 3-0 decision (23-25, 31-33, 21-25) to Princeton Saturday night at DeGol Arena in an Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association match.

The Red Flash (7-8, 4-2 EIVA) got off to a hot start in the opening set, building a 5-1 lead coming out of the gate and forcing Princeton to call a timeout. The Tigers (4-4, 3-2 EIVA) kept things close though and began to pull even closer, coming to within two points early on. Princeton would eventually get even in the set at 17 all and take the lead on the next play. With the score set at 21, Princeton pushed to set point but SFU collected two points and came within one. The Tigers would finish though, taking set point on the next play on a kill from junior Michael Dye.

To start the second set, the Flash and Tigers battled point for point. Princeton took a 10-8 lead, the largest of the set to that point, before head coach Mike Rumbaugh called a timeout. SFU drew to a 16-16 deadlock with the Tigers halfway through set number two. The set remained tightly contested until the very end, tied once again at 23. After exchanging point for point once again in this set, SFU and Princeton needed extra time to determine a winner. Unfortunately for the Red Flash, two errors gave the Tigers the win and the 2-0 lead in the match.
In the third set the Flash struggled at the start, falling behind 9-4 in the early goings. Saint Francis fell behind by too much of a margin and could not mount a comeback. Princeton took the third set by a four point advantage.

Despite playing in just two of the three sets, sophomore Logan Patterson (Derry, Pa./Derry Area) picked up a match-high 13 kills and hit at a .455 clip. Mark Kochan finished just behind Patterson, registering a season-best 12 kills, his first double-digit kill performance of the season. Senior Ryan Williams (Pittsburgh, Pa./Montour) collected 43 assists in the loss.

Saint Francis hosts its third game in a row tomorrow afternoon as they welcome in Grand Canyon for a 4 p.m. inaugural match at DeGol Arena.