Flash Points:
- Saint Francis fell 16-14 in the fifth and deciding set.
- Michael Fisher (Mechanicsburg, Pa./Cumberland Valley (Pepperdine)) led four players in double figure kills.
- Daniel Ford (Newtown, Pa./Council Rock North) added 56 assists.
- Gabe Woffindin (Allentown, Pa./William Allen) recorded a match-high 16 digs.
PRINCETON, N.J. – The Saint Francis men's volleyball team fell 3-2 to Princeton in a five-set thriller on Friday night at Dillon Gymnasium. The Flash fell 25-22, 22-25, 23-25, 26-24 and 14-16.
Saint Francis falls to 4-7 on the season and 0-2 in conference play, while Princeton improves to 3-5 and 1-0 in the EIVA.
Michael Fisher (Mechanicsburg, Pa./Cumberland Valley (Pepperdine)) led four players in double figure kills with 18.
Stephen Braswell (Manchester, Pa./Northeastern) and
Jeff Hogan (Northern Cambria, Pa./Northern Cambria) finished with 15 kills, while
Nick Bennett (Doylestown, Pa./Central Bucks East) recorded 10.
Daniel Ford (Newtown, Pa./Council Rock North) dished out 56 assists, while
Gabe Woffindin (Allentown, Pa./William Allen) contributed with a match-high 16 digs. Kendall Ratter paced Princeton with 26 kills.
Saint Francis would hold a slim advantage in the fifth set at 6-5. After Princeton grabbed an 11-9 lead, SFU took advantage of two Tiger errors to tie the set at 11-11. The Tigers again would take a two-point lead at 13-11 but the Red Flash would fight back to knot the score at 13-13. Princeton would go on a 3-1 run to take the set, 16-14.
Two kills by
Keith Kegerreis (Chambersburg, Pa./Chambersburg) and a bad Princeton set would give Saint Francis a 3-0 lead in the opening set. A Braswell service ace and two Tiger errors would extend the SFU lead to 12-7. Four unanswered points by SFU would lengthen the Red Flash lead to 16-10, and would force the Tigers to use a timeout. Princeton would use a 7-2 run to pull within one at 20-19. Both teams would trade points through the rest of the set but a Fisher kill would give SFU a 25-22 win.
Both teams would exchange points in the early going of the second set, but a 4-0 Red Flash run would give SFU a 12-10 lead. The rest of set would remain a tight battle, with both teams swapping blows. Princeton would take a two-point lead at 19-17. Three-straight SFU kills would tie the set at 20-20. The Tigers would score the last three points to take the set, 25-22.
Much like the second set, the third set begun with both teams trading points. SFU would take a three-point lead at 11-8 to open the scoring. Saint Francis would take a three-point lead at 19-16 to force Princeton to burn a timeout. With the score tied at 22-22, Princeton would score three of the last four points to win, 25-23.
Saint Francis started the fourth set red-hot, jumping out to a 6-2 lead. Princeton would answer with 4-1 run to tie the set at 8-8. Princeton would take a two-point advantage at 17-15 to force a SFU timeout. SFU would go on a 3-0 run to fight back to tie the set at 19-19. A kill by Hogan and Bennett would give the Flash a 26-24 victory.
Saint Francis takes on NJIT tomorrow night at 7 p.m.
