Flash Points:
- Michael Fisher (Mechanicsburg, Pa./Cumberland Valley (Pepperdine)) led SFU with 22 kills.
- Daniel Ford (Newtown, Pa./Council Rock North) recorded three blocks and 44 assists.
- SFU returns to action tomorrow night at 5 p.m. against Barton College.
COLUMBUS, Ohio. – The Saint Francis men's volleyball team got off to a fast start in its match with No. 4 Long Beach State on Friday night at St. John's Arena, but the 49ers rallied to defeat the Red Flash. Long Beach State won 21-25, 25-15, 25-23 and 32-20.
Saint Francis drops to 3-5 after the loss, while Long Beach State improves to 7-1.
Michael Fisher (Mechanicsburg, Pa./Cumberland Valley (Pepperdine)) paced the Flash with 22 kills, while
Daniel Ford (Newtown, Pa./Council Rock North) collected three blocks and dished out 44 assists.
Gabe Woffindin (Allentown, Pa./William Allen) finished with a team-high 13 digs.
Four kills by
Stephen Braswell (Manchester, Pa./Northeastern) gave Saint Francis a 6-3 lead in the opening set against Long Beach State. The 49ers would tie the set at 13-13 after blocks by Lugo-Rodriguez and DeFlaco. Both teams would exchange the next couple of points, but a Long Beach State service error would extend the SFU lead to 17-15. A
Nick Bennett (Doylestown, Pa./Central Bucks East) kill forced Long Beach State to call a timeout after taking a 21-18 lead. A Long Beach State attack error would give Saint Francis the set, 25-21. Braswell,
Keith Kegerreis (Chambersburg, Pa./Chambersburg) and Fisher posted five kills in the set.
Saint Francis was unable to overcome a 9-4 deficit as the 49ers led wire-to-wire to take the second set, 25-15.
Long Beach State would take advantage of three straight SFU errors to take an 8-6 lead in the third set. Saint Francis would fall behind 11-7 and would call a timeout. Back-to-back kills by Fisher pulled the Flash within two at 19-17. SFU would rally to cut the lead to 23-21, but Long Beach would block a SFU attack to take the set, 25-23.
The fourth set saw five ties in the opening 20 points, with 15 ties and nine lead changes in total. Long Beach State eventually took a 12-11 lead. A Ford block would highlight a 3-0 run to give SFU a 14-13 lead. Out of a LBSU timeout, the Red Flash would extend its run to 5-0 and the lead to 16-13. The Beach would make it a one-point game at 20-19 in the set as the Red Flash took a timeout. The end of the set was a battle as neither team was ready to give up, but LBSU closed out the win and match, 32-30.
Saint Francis stays in Columbus to face Barton College tomorrow night at 5 p.m.
