BOX SCORE LORETTO, Pa. – The Saint Francis men's volleyball team stubbed its toe at the end of the first set against Sacred Heart on Saturday night in EIVA action, but the Red Flash recovered for a 3-1 victory over the Pioneers. The Flash won 24-26, 25-22, 25-20 and 26-24.
 
A kill by Adam Barba (Meadville, Pa./Meadville) made it 24-20 SFU in the first, but the Pioneers scored six consecutive points to take the set. Barba and Mike Marshman (Glenmont, N.Y./Bethlehem Central) each had four kills to lead the team with Marsman hitting .571.
 
That hiccup would be the last for the Flash. The team played evenly through the second set as the Pioneers took a 20-18 lead. But the Flash finished on a strong 7-2 run to win the set. The Flash hit .393 in the game, with Marshman leading the team with four kills. Barba and Logan Patterson (Derry, Pa./Derry Area) each had three. Michael Kresch (Moon Township, Pa./Moon Area) had 13 of his 45 assists in the game.
 
The Flash jumped out to a 9-4 lead in game three but found itself up just one at 17-16. A kill by Patterson along with blocks by Colin Sherwin (Greensburg, Pa./Greater Latrobe), Mark Kochan (Towaco, N.J./Seton Hall Prep) and Patterson pushed the lead back to four. Kills for Marshman, Sherwin and Barba finished the third game in SFU's favor, 25-20. Patterson finished the match with eight kills. He is just six kills shy of becoming the fourth Saint Francis player to register 1,000 kills. SFU hit .444 in the set.
 
The teams traded serves throughout game four, with Sacred Heart jumping ahead 15-12. Kills by Kresch and Barba sandwiched a Kochan block to tie the score at 15-15, and the teams stayed no more than two points from each other until Marshman's block finished the match at 26-24.
 
Kresch finished with 45 assists. Marshman led the way with 13 kills, while Kresch and Sherwin each hit .636 with eight kills. Lucas Behringer (Indianapolis, Ind./Cathedral) led the team with 14 digs.
 
Saint Francis hits the road next weekend, traveling to George Mason and Princeton.