Men’s Volleyball Host Ohio State and Travels to Penn State
Bobby Dragon
Flash Points:
- Saint Francis will host Ohio State on Saturday before traveling to State College to take on Penn State.
- Saturday's match will begin at 7 p.m., while Sunday's match is slated for 4 p.m.
- Both matches will be live streamed and live stated.
Loretto, Pa.,- The Saint Francis men's volleyball team welcomes in the defending champions, Ohio State Buckeyes, on Saturday before heading up I-99 to take on Penn State on Sunday. Saturday's match will begin at 7 p.m. and Sunday's match is slated for 4 p.m.
The Red Flash, led by
Mike Rumbaugh, enters the weekend with an 8-13 overall record and is 3-4 in conference play. The Flash dropped two non- conference match-ups last weekend against two tough opponents in Lindenwood and McKendree. SFU fell in three sets against Lindenwood and lost in four sets the next night to McKendree. As it stands, Saint Francis is currently sitting sixth in the EIVA conference standings.
Senior Impact
Stephen Braswell (Manchester, Pa./Northeastern) ranks first in the conference in total kills with 223 and eighth in kills per set with 2.97.
Brandon Buck (Baden, Pa./Ambridge)s follows his teammate in total kills with 220, while sitting forth in the conference with a 3.01 kill per set percentage. Braswell is also top 5 in the EIVA with 143 total digs.
Can You Dig It?
Freshman
Ryan Alu (Pipersville, PA/Central Bucks West HS) ranks second in the EIVA in total digs (161) and fourth in digs per set (2.56). The Pipersville Pa., native has recorded double-digit digs in 7 matches this season.
About the Buckeyes
Ohio State enters Saturday's matchup as the No. 9 ranked team in the country, and is riding a two game win streak. The Buckeyes hold a 13-4 record, with their last loss coming against Loyola-Chicago two weeks ago. OSU currently sits second in the conference, behind Loyola-Chicago, with a 6-2-conference record.
Earlier in the year, Ohio State took a three set match against the Red Flash, as Jake Hanes led the way for the Buckeyes with 19 kills along with a .417 hitting percentage. Nicolas Szerszen contributed with 11 kills on a .435 hitting percentage. Setter Sanil Thomas dished out 39 assists in the 3-0 win.
So far on the season, Hanes leads the way for the Buckeyes offense in total kills (221), service aces (25), and total points (262.2). Thomas also helps the surging offense by dishing out 684 total assist so far. On the defensive side, Aaron Smarin has a team-high 120 digs while Blake Leeson has contributed with 46 total blocks.
About the Nittany Lions
Conference rival Penn State comes into the weekend with a 10-7 overall record, after dropping two non-conference matches against two top 10 opponents, Lewis and Hawaii. The Nittany Lions currently sit second in the EIVA conference standings with a 5-2 record.
Last meeting, PSU took a three set match against the Red Flash as Matthew McLaren led the Nittany Lions with 12 kills and a .500 hitting percentage. Luke Braswell, brother of
Stephen Braswell (Manchester, Pa./Northeastern), contributed to the Nittany Lions win with 28 assists as Royce Clemens led the defensive side with 17 digs.
Currently, McLaren leads the Nittany Lions offense with 159 kills as Braswell has dished out 566 assists on the season. Redshirt senior Kevin Gear leads the defense with 53 total blocks while Clemens has 132 total digs.
Series History
Saint Francis trails the all-time series against the Buckeyes, 1-30, as they also trail the series against Penn State, 3-43. SFU fell to OSU, 0-3, on Jan. 25 and fell to PSU, 0-3, on Feb 10.
Follow Along
Live stats and live video will be provided for both matches. Information can be found in the men's volleyball schedule page.
Next Time Out…
Saint Francis will remain on the road, as they will travel to Sacred Heart on Thursday then ship up to Harvard on Friday.
