LORETTO, Pa – The Saint Francis men's volleyball begins a stretch of five home games with a Friday night contest against the IPFW Mastodons at DeGol Arena. Match time is set for 7 p.m. The Flash continues their weekend double-header against No. 14 Ball State on Saturday night at 7 p.m.
 
ABOUT THE FLASH
Saint Francis sits at 1-3 overall. The Flash opened the 2016 season with losses against the University of Mount Olive in three sets and Barton College in a five-set heartbreaker. SFU got their first win of the season in a upset win over No. 9 Lewis University last Friday. The Red Flash lost to No. 6 Loyola-Chicago last Saturday in three sets.
 
ABOUT THE MASTODONS
IPFW enters Friday's matchup with a 2-2 overall record. The Mastodons dropped a 3-0 decision to Harvard last Saturday. The Flash will look to contain IPFW's opposite hitter Andrew Sellan. Sellan tops the MIVA in kills per set with 4.86, and ranks second in the conference with 68 kills. Libero Luis Bertran's 2.50 digs per set ranks him third in the conference. Setter Michael Keegan leads the MIVA with 12.36 assists per game. Against Sacred Heart, Keegan finished with 52 assists.
 
The Mastodons hold a 4-12 series lead over the Flash. Last season, SFU dropped a 3-0 decision to IPFW.
 
ABOUT THE CARDINALS
Ball State comes into Loretto with a 3-1 record and is currently ranked No. 14 in country. BSU defeated Sacred Heart, 3-1, last Friday and Harvard, 3-1 last Saturday. The Cardinals are currently third in the MIVA with 237 kills. Jack Lesure and Brendan Surane are ranked in the top-five in the conference in kills per set. Alex Pia is currently ranked second in the conference in blocks per set with 1.21. Higao Garchet's 10.08 assists rank him fourth in the conference.

Saint Francis is 5-13 all time against Ball State. The Flash lost to the Cardinals, 3-1, last season.

Saint Francis hosts No. 10 Penn State on Jan.29 at 7 p.m.