Flash Points:
- Jeff Hogan (Northern Cambria, Pa./Northern Cambria) led the Flash with 25 kills and 10 digs.
- Shaughn McDonald (Coraopolis, Pa./Our Lady of Sacred Heart) added 12 kills and 10 digs.
- Saint Francis won the fifth set 20-18.
LORETTO, Pa. –
Jeff Hogan (Northern Cambria, Pa./Northern Cambria)'s double-double pushed the Saint Francis men's volleyball team to a five-set victory over California Baptist at DeGol Arena on Saturday afternoon. The Flash won 27-25, 17-25, 25-15, 23-25 and 20-18.
The Red Flash snap a three-match losing streak and improve to 9-12 on the season, while the Lancers fall to 3-18.
Hogan led the Flash with 25 kills and 10 digs.
Shaughn McDonald (Coraopolis, Pa./Our Lady of Sacred Heart) finished second on the squad with a career-high 12 kills and recorded 10 digs.
Stephen Braswell (Manchester, Pa./Northeastern) posted 11 kills and six digs, while
Tony Nicotra (Allison Park, Pa./Deer Lakes) registered a match-high eight blocks. Rohit Paul's 19 kills led Cal Baptist.
Saint Francis jumped out to a 5-2 lead in the fifth set. However, Cal Baptist responded with three-straight points to tie the set at 5-5. A Hogan kill gave the Flash a two-point lead, 9-7. The teams traded points until a Braswell kill gave the Flash match point at 14-13 The Lancers fought off Saint Francis' match point, and Cal Baptist had a chance to take the match at 18-17. A McDonald kill and a Hogan service ace sealed the Flash victory, 20-18.
In the first set, the Flash pulled out to a 4-0 lead. Saint Francis continued to control the set and took a seven-point lead, 12-5, to force a Cal Baptist timeout. With SFU leading 23-20, CBU put together a 5-1 run to take a 25-24 advantage. Kills from McDonald, Hogan and
Nick Bennett (Doylestown, Pa./Central Bucks East) sparked the home squad a 3-0 run to take set 27-25.
CBU led early in the second set, 10-5, and caused
Mike Rumbaugh to take a timeout. The Flash cut the Lancers' lead to five at 20-15, but California Baptist closed out the set on a 5-2 run to hold on for a 25-17 win.
Behind two kills from Nicotra, the Flash opened up the third set strong, taking an early 8-3 lead. CBU chipped away at the SFU lead, closing the gap to three at 9-6. The Flash busted the set wide open, going on a 7-2 run to take a commanding 16-8 lead. Saint Francis never looked back and coasted to a 25-15 victory.
CBU came out firing in the fourth set. The Lancers went up as many as six, 10-4. The Flash cut the deficit to 14-8, but the Lancers kept the pressure coming. With CBU leading 24-19, SFU rattled off five unanswered points to make the score 24-23. A kill by Enrique Garcia gave the Lancers a 25-23 win.
Saint Francis travels to Chicago to face Loyola-Chicago and Lewis starting on Friday. Both matches are set for 7 p.m.
