BOX SCORE LORETTO, Pa. – The Saint Francis men's volleyball team opened its 2014 season with an impressive 3-1 victory over Ball State on Friday night at DeGol Arena. The Flash won 30-28, 23-25, 25-16, 25-23.
 
Senior Mark Kochan (Towaco, N.J./Seton Hall Prep) led the Red Flash with an .857 hitting percentage, notching 12 kills in 14 attempts with no errors. With the Flash ahead two games to one, Kochan set the tone early in the fourth set. He started the game with a kill and a block as the Flash jumped out to a 7-3 lead. Ball State (1-2) fought back to take a 20-18 lead, but a point by senior Logan Patterson (Derry, Pa./Derry Area) and Kochan's third block of the set tied the score at 20-20.
 
A Patterson ace put SFU ahead, 22-21, and kills by Kyle Beatty (Saegertown, Pa./Saegertown) and Mike Marshman (Glenmont, N.Y./Bethlehem Central) brought the Flash to the brink of an opening night victory. After a Cardinals' point to make it 24-23, Patterson finished the match with his team-high 17th kill. Beatty finished second on the squad with 13 kills.
 
The competitive match started in the first set as the Red Flash (1-0) built a six-point advantage at 17-11, but the Cardinals went on a 12-5 run to take a 23-22 lead. The teams traded points all the way to 28-28 as SFU denied five game points for Ball State. After a service error tied the score at 28, the Flash rattled off the final two points for the game one win, capped by a Colin Sherwin (Greensburg, Pa./Greater Latrobe) block.
 
After Ball State took the second game, 25-23, Saint Francis came out blazing in the third. The Flash started out with a 7-1 advantage and led by as many as 11 later in the game as they cruised to a 25-16 set three victory. The Flash hit .560 in the third game to the Cardinals' .067. For the match, SFU outhit BSU, .433-226.
 
Sophomore setter Mike Kresch had 50 assists as he outgained the entire Ball State roster in that category.
 
Saint Francis returns to action tomorrow night at DeGol Arena against IPFW at 7:00 p.m.