Men’s Volleyball Wraps up Home Swing against Charleston, George Mason
Bobby Dragon
Flash Points:
- Saint Francis hosts Charleston and George Mason to close out the homestead.
- Friday's match is set for a 7 p.m. start while Saturday is scheduled for 4 p.m.
- Both matches will be live stated.
- Saturday's match will not be live streamed on NEC Front Row.
Loretto, Pa.- The Saint Francis men's volleyball team closes out its homestead this weekend as the Red Flash welcome in the Golden Eagles of Charleston and the Patriots of George Mason. Friday's match is slated to start at 7 p.m., while Saturday's match time is set for 4 p.m.
Saint Francis enters the weekend with a 7-8 overall record and is 2-1 in conference play after rattling off two consecutive EIVA wins. SFU used four sets to defeat Harvard and four to down Sacred Heart last weekend. As it stands, Saint Francis is currently ranked fourth in the EIVA standings behind Penn State, Charleston, and George Mason. As such, this weekend is an opportunity to move up in the standings.
The Big Three
Stephen Braswell (Manchester, Pa./Northeastern),
Brandon Buck (Baden, Pa./Ambridge), and
Cole Thompson (Los Alamitos, Calif./Los Alamitos) all rank in the top five in kills in the EIVA. Braswell leads the pack with 151, Buck ranks second with 135 while Thompson has amassed 117 and ranks third. The trio has accounted for 403 kills or 72 percent of the team's kills.
Freshman Impact
Both freshman setter
Roman Szwabinsky (Columbus, Ohio/Westerville South High School) and freshman libero
Ryan Alu (Pipersville, PA/Central Bucks West HS) have made a huge contribution to this season. Szwabinsky has dished out 102 assists in the last three games as he had a season high 44 assists verses Sacred Heart. Defensively, Alu has accumulated 108 total digs to start his young career which leads the EIVA as well as the team.
Weekly Honors
Junior
Hayden Herc (Eden, N.Y./Eden) received Defensive Player of the Week honors this past weekend as he provided the Red Flash Defense with 13 total blocks. He also ranks third in the EIVA in blocks per set with 1.08.
About the Golden Eagles
The University of Charleston comes into Loretto with a 7-1 overall record and is 2-0 in conference play. The Golden Eagle defeated Alderson Broaddus last Thursday in non-conference action. Max Senica leads the squad with 81 kills and averages 2.89 kills per set. Senica has also recorded a team high 59 digs on the year. Anthony Rivera is first on the team with 184 assists while Ariel Roberts is first in blocks with 30.
About the Patriots
George Mason is 6-7 overall and is 2-0 in the EIVA. The Patriots downed NJIT in three straight sets while also downing Princeton in three straight sets last weekend. Hayden Wagner leads GMU with 112 kills, averages 3.39 kills per set and has recorded 14 service aces. Johnny Gomez leads the Patriots defense with 96 total digs while Jack Reese has a total 42 blocks.
Series History
Saint Francis leads the all-time series against Charleston, 5-0 and trails the all-time series against George Mason, 15-36. SFU took both matches against Charleston and George Mason last season.
Follow Along
Video will be provided for only Friday's match as live stats will be provided for both matches.
Next Time Out…..
The Red Flash will travel on the road the next two weekends as their first stop will be in New Jersey to take on Princeton and NJIT. Both matches are set to begin at 7 p.m.
