Flash Points:

• Saint Francis faces No.4 Long Beach State on Friday and Barton College on Saturday at Ohio State.
• Both matches are set for 5 p.m.
• The Red Flash squares off against a ranked opponent for the third straight match.

 
LORETTO, Pa. – The Saint Francis men's volleyball team travels to Ohio State University for a pair of non-conference matches against No. 4 Long Beach State and Barton College starting on Friday. Both matches are scheduled for 5 p.m.
 
ABOUT THE FLASH
Saint Francis enters the weekend with a 3-4 overall record after dropping a pair of matches to two ranked opponents in top-ranked Ohio State and then-No.8 Lewis. After falling in straight sets to the Buckeyes, the Flash rallied to force a fifth set against Lewis, but would drop a 3-2 decision. Jeff Hogan (Northern Cambria, Pa./Northern Cambria) and Michael Fisher (Mechanicsburg, Pa./Cumberland Valley (Pepperdine)) led the offensive effort; each posting 24 kills during the two-match stretch. On the defensive side, Gabe Woffindin (Allentown, Pa./William Allen) led SFU with 19 digs.
 
Fisher (3.59) and Hogan (3.46) rank third and fifth, respectively, in the EIVA in kills per set. Hogan (97), Stephen Braswell (Manchester, Pa./Northeastern) (83) and Fisher (79) all rank in the top-five in the conference in  kills. Woffindin's 64 digs are currently second  in the EIVA while Hogan is ranked fifth with 40. Daniel Ford (Newtown, Pa./Council Rock North) currently leads the conference in assists per set with 10.29, and ranks ninth nationally. As a team, SFU leads the conference in kills (345), kills per set (12.32), assists (326) and points (415).
 
ABOUT THE 49ERS
Long Beach State is ranked fourth in the latest AVCA Division I-II Poll after defeating No. 5 Hawaii twice in a three-day span. The 49ers post a 6-1 overall record and are 1-1 in the MPSF with their only loss coming to USC. LBSU's offensive is led by TJ Defacio's 84 kills and is hitting .337 on the season. Kyle Ensinig is behind him with 64 kills. On the defensive side, Andrew Sato leads Long Beach with 51 digs, while Amir Lugo-Rodriquez leads the squad with 27 total blocks. Josh Tuaniga has amassed 226 assists on the year. The Beach leads the all-time series against the Flash, 2-0.
 
ABOUT THE BULLDOGS
Barton is 3-1 on the season and dropped a 3-1 decision to Limestone last Saturday. Yasillis Mandilaris leads the offensive charge for the Bulldogs; accounting for 47 kills on the season and is second on the team with 22 digs. Angelous Mandillaris ranks second on the squad with 32 kills and has a .462 hitting clip. Juan Varona's 30 digs are first on Barton, while Justice Lord's 14 total blocks lead BC. Federico Pagliara's 10.86 assists per set ranks fifth nationally. The all-time series is tied at 1-1.
 
FOLLOW ALONG
Live stats will be provided and both matches will be streamed on Facebook Live. All information can be found in the men's volleyball schedule page.
 
NEXT TIME OUT…
Saint Francis stays on the road to open EIVA play against Penn State on Feb. 3 at 7 p.m.