LORETTO, Pa. – The Saint Francis men's volleyball team heads to Chicago to face a pair of ranked opponents this weekend. First up for the Flash will be last season's national runners-up No. 9 Lewis University on Friday. SFU heads to the 2015 defending national champions No. 6 Loyola University of Chicago on Saturday. Both games are scheduled for 7 p.m.
 
ABOUT THE FLASH
Saint Francis dropped a 3-0 decision in the season opener at the University of Mount Olive last Friday. Brandon Buck (Baden, Pa./Ambridge) led the Flash with nine kills while Mike Marshman (Glenmont, N.Y./Bethlehem Central) tallied eight. Daniel Ford (Newtown, Pa./Council Rock North) dished out 26 assists and led the squad with five digs.
 
SFU dropped a 3-2 setback last Saturday against Barton College. The Flash started with a one game to none advantage, but fell to the Bulldogs in the fifth set, 15-12. Stephen Braswell (Manchester, Pa./Northeastern) led the Flash offensive with 19 kills, 11 digs and posted a .405 hitting percentage. Jeff Hogan (Northern Cambria, Pa./Northern Cambria) was second on the Flash with 17 kills and nine digs while Ford added 50 assists.
 
Marshman leads the EIVA with a .563 hitting percentage while Braswell is currently listed fifth in the same category with a .327. Braswell ranks first in service aces per set with 0.75. Ford is second in the conference with 9.50 assists per set.
 
ABOUT THE FLYERS
The Flyers were voted No. 8 the AVCA Division I-II Men's Preseason Poll. After starting 3-1 early in the season, Lewis dropped one spot to No. 9 in the most recent poll. The Flyers opened the 2016 season with a 3-1 win over No. 8 UC Santa Barbara. During the Outrigger Resorts Invitational, Lewis complied a record of 2-1, but the Flyers faltered in the title round against host school No. 5 Hawaii, 3-0. Outside hitter Julian Moses leads the Flyers' offense and is first in the MIVA in kills with 49, and is third with 4.08 kills per set. Bobby Walsh's .438 hitting percentage ranks third in the conference.
 
The Flyers hold a 1-16 record against the Flash. Lewis defeated Saint Francis, 3-0, last season. SFU looks to snap a 14-game losing streak against the Flyers.
 
ABOUT THE RAMBLERS
The defending NCAA Champions opened the 2016 season ranked No. 3 while receiving sixth first-place votes in the AVCA Division I-II Men's Preseason Poll.  After losing a pair of games, the Ramblers took a tumble to No. 6 in this week's poll. Like Lewis, Loyola opened the season against No. 8 UC Santa Barbara, but they were not as lucky and fell, 3-1. The Ramblers headed to Utah this past weekend to face No. 1 BYU and No. 4 UC Irvine at the AVCA Showcase. In the first game, the Rambles were knocked of by BYU, 3-1. Loyola bounced back against the Anteaters in five sets, 3-2.
 
Teammates Jake Selsky and Trevor Novotny are in a three-way tie for second in the MIVA with 26 digs. The pair is also tired for fourth in digs per set with 2.00. Nicholas Olson currently ranks third in the conference with 1.38 blocks per set. Peter Hutz is currently third with 9.77 assists per set.
 
Loyola-Chicago has a 1-11 advantage over Saint Francis. The Flash has lost six straight to the Ramblers. SFU gave the defending national champs a scare last season, taking the Ramblers to a fifth set. Loyola would end up winning the final frame, 15-9.
 
The Flash return to Loretto for a five-game home stand starting on Jan. 22 against IPFW and Ball State on Jan. 23. Both matches are schedule for 7p.m.