LORETTO, Pa. (April 10, 2015) -- The Saint Francis U men's volleyball team regained their form in front of a rowdy home crowd winning a five-set thriller over the Sacred Heart Pioneers 25-22,27-25,15-25,24-26,15-13. SFU improves to 3-5 in the Eastern Intercollege Volleyball Association.
The Red Flash opened up the first two sets on a rampage quickly gaining a 2-0 lead. Sacred Heart gave the Flash a run for their money in both sets, but Saint Francis proved too much for the Pioneers to handle early on in the match. Saint Francis hit .286 during the first set and a whopping .343 during the second set.
The Pioneers quickly responded to the 2-0 deficit in the third set by cooling off the energetic Red Flash 25-15. After being humbled in the third set Saint Francis looked to seal the match in the fourth set, but SHU had other plans. Down 24-22 Saint Francis looked to fold into the Pioneers clutches, but a quick two points evened up the set at 24 apiece. Sacred Heart responded to the burst of energy from the Flash with a crushing 2-0 run sealing the fourth set 26-24.
The fifth and final set of the game mirrored the first, second, and fourth set. With the rambunctious crowd on the edge of their seats the Flash inched closer and closer to sealing their eighth straight win over Sacred Heart.
Mike Marshman (Glenmont, N.Y./Bethlehem Central)'s kill ended all hope for the Pioneers and gave Saint Francis their third conference win.
Stephen Braswell (Manchester, Pa./Northeastern) and
Jeff Hogan (Northern Cambria, Pa./Northern Cambria) both produced 16 kills apiece for the Flash, while Marshman tallied 15. Saint Francis had three players record double digit dig performances. Leading the way was
Jack Carlson (Broomfield, Colo./Broomfield) with 14, while
Shaughn McDonald (Coraopolis, Pa./Our Lady of Sacred Heart) and
Daniel Ford (Newtown, Pa./Council Rock North) recorded 12 and 10 digs respectively. Ford also collected 48 assists. McDonald was one kill shy of joining Braswell, Hogan, and Marshman in the double-digit kill club.
Saint Francis returns to action tomorrow at 3 p.m. against Harvard.
