Box Score

LORETTO, Pa. (March 2, 2012) – The Saint Francis University men's volleyball team did all they could against the No. 9 Ohio State Buckeyes but vanquished a 2-1 lead and fell in five sets (25-23, 21-25, 25-21, 14-25, 11-15).

Playing from behind in most of the opening set, the Red Flash (8-9) were down by as many as five to the Buckeyes (13-5). SFU went on a 5-2 run though halfway through the set to tie the score at 18. On the very next point, a double block by Ryan Williams (Pittsburgh, Pa./Montour) and Adam Roche (Cochranton, Pa./Cochranton) put the Flash up by one. OSU fought until the end but would not gain a lead for the remainder of the first set. With the score set at 23 all, a kill by Mark Kochan and another double block, this time by Kochan and Logan Patterson (Derry, Pa./Derry Area), lifted SFU to the opening win.

Having to play catch up once more, Saint Francis trailed 11-7 before they began to rack up points. The Flash cut the score to a one point advantage for the Buckeyes at 15-14. SFU battled neck and neck with Ohio State but could not get in a position to take a lead of any kind and fell by four points, tying the match at one set each.

Early in the third set with the score tied at seven, a kill from Patterson put the Flash ahead and a double block by Roche and Alex Kane (York, Pa./West York) pushed them ahead by three before Ohio State called a timeout. SFU kept the pace up, staying just enough ahead of the Buckeyes to give them the advantage. Saint Francis ended set number three on a 6-2 run, putting them up 2-1 in the match over the defending national champs.

The fourth set was all Buckeyes right from the start. Ohio State built up a 12-5 lead over the Flash and it would prove to be too much of a margin for Saint Francis to overcome. The match headed into a fifth and final set to determine the victor.

A lot of energy was built up as the final set began. Ohio State took its first lead of the set at 7-6 and held an 8-7 advantage when the two squads switched sides of the court. The remainder of the fifth set would be as back and forth as any in the match as the Flash and Buckeyes went point for point until OSU tallied three consecutive points to push the score to 13-10. An unforced error by Saint Francis gave Ohio State the 3-2 match win.

Kane racked up his eighth double-digit kill performance of the season with 15 against OSU. Patterson secured 12 kills as the only other Red Flash to gain double-digit numbers. Roche and Kochan both accumulated nine blocks each with Kochan recording one solo. As a team, blocking was strong for Saint Francis as they garnered 19 total blocks for the match.

Saint Francis travels down south for two games in North Carolina starting with Mount Olive this Monday at 7 p.m.