Flash Points:
 

• Friday's match has been moved to 7:30 p.m.
• Saint Francis hosts defending national champs and No.1-ranked Ohio State on Friday and No. 8 Lewis on Saturday at 7 p.m.
• The Flash will host the previous national champs for the fifth time ever at DeGol Arena.
• Both matches will be broadcasted on NEC Front Row.

 
NEC Front Row     Live Stats
 
LORETTO, Pa. – The Saint Francis men's volleyball team hosts defending national champions Ohio State and No.8 Lewis this weekend for the home opener. Friday's match against No. 1 Ohio State has been pushed back to 7:30 p.m., while Saturday's match is slated for 7 p.m. Both matches will be live streamed on NEC Front Row.
 
Friday's matchup against Ohio State will be the fifth time Saint Francis has hosted the previous national champion at DeGol Arena.
 
ABOUT THE FLASH
Saint Francis is 3-2 on the young season, dropping a contest to No. 14 Ball State last Thursday in straight sets. The Red Flash bounced back against Fort Wayne in five sets on Friday. Michael Fisher (Mechanicsburg, Pa./Cumberland Valley (Pepperdine)) led the Flash with 33 kills, while Jeff Hogan (Northern Cambria, Pa./Northern Cambria) contributed with 26 over both matches. Defensively, Gabe Woffindin (Allentown, Pa./William Allen) led SFU with 19 digs and Daniel Ford (Newtown, Pa./Council Rock North) chipped in with five total blocks.
 
A trio of attackers is ranked in the top-five in kills in the EIVA. Hogan is the conference leader with 73; Stephen Braswell (Manchester, Pa./Northeastern) is third with 59, while Fisher trails Braswell by four kills and ranks fourth. Woffindin leads the conference in digs with 45, while Hogan ranks fourth with 26 and Ford is fifth with 23. Hogan's .366 hitting percentage is fourth in the conference. Ford's 10.50 assists per set ranks second in the EIVA, only behind Penn State's Luke Braswell.
 
Saint Francis has several players ranked in the top 20 nationally in individual statistics.  Ford's 10.50 per set is ranked 11th, Fisher's 7.63 attacks per set is 19th, Woffindin's 2.25 digs per set comes in at 16th, and Hogan's 3.65 kills per set stands at 19th. Hogan's 73 kills are currently the fifth most in the country.
 
The Red Flash will look to feed off of the hostel crowd of DeGol Arena this weekend, as Saint Francis went 13-2 at home last season. SFU knocked off three ranked opponents in 2016 at DeGol Arena.  
 
ABOUT THE BUCKEYES
Ohio State comes into Friday's matchup as the No.1-ranked team in country and is the defending national champs. The Buckeyes are riding a 28-match win streak, and have not lost since Feb. 6, 2016 against Ball State.  OSU has won 84 of 102 sets during its streak.  Ohio State currently holds a 5-0 record and is coming off a sweep against No. 10 Stanford last week.
 
Reigning National Player of the Year Nicolas Szerszen, who has 68 kills and is hitting .390 on the season, leads the Buckeyes. Szerszen and Miles Johnson have become one of the best duos in the country. Szersen and Johnson are ranked in the top-five nationally in points per set. On the defensive side, Christy Blough and Gabriel Domecus led OSU with 28 digs apiece. Blake Leeson and Johnson are tied for the team lead with 16 total blocks.
 
Saint Francis trails the all-time series against Ohio State, 1-27. SFU's only win against OSU came in 2010 at DeGol Arena.
 
ABOUT THE FLYERS
No. 8 Lewis is 3-1 on the season and is fresh off a win over then-No. 5 Pepperdine. Ryan Coenen leads the offensive attack for the Flyers, amassing 57 kills on the season and averages a team-leading 3.56 kills per set. Setter Matt Yoshimoto has accumulated 174 assists on the season, while Michael Simmons has notched 49 digs and ranks second nationally in digs per set (3.06).
 
Saint Francis split a pair of matches against Lewis last season. The Flyers holds a 17-2 advantage in the all-time series.
 
FOLLOW ALONG
Both matches will be live streamed on NEC Front Row. Live stats will also be provided.
 
NEXT TIME OUT…
Saint Francis travels to Ohio State to face No. 4 Long Beach State and Barton College for two neutral site matches. Both matches are set for 5 p.m.