Loretto, Pa- In a match that featured multiple lead changes between two fierce rivals, the Saint Francis men's volleyball team came up short in four sets against Penn State, 3-1 (22-25, 25-20, 27-29, 22-25) Monday evening at DeGol Arena.
 
The Red Flash (3-2) bounced back after dropping the first set by topping the Nittany Lions (2-2) in the second set and falling just short in the third. After a 29-27 third set victory for Penn State, the Red Flash managed to keep things close before Penn State closed the match by rattling off three straight points with the score knotted at 22-22.
 
How It Happened
 
First Set

• Neither team led by more than three points in the early part of the set as both teams battled back and forth.
• Penn State managed a late 4-0 run to take the lead 20-14 lead and force SFU to take its first timeout.
• Saint Francis did not back down despite Penn State taking the lead and clawed its way back within two points to force the Nittany Lions to call a timeout.
• With the score 22-24, Penn State mustered a quick kill from Henrik Falck Lauten to take set one.
• End of Set One- PSU 25, SFU 22: PSU leads 1-0

 
Second Set

• SFU steadily built an early lead in set two and led 9-5 after a Michael Fisher (Mechanicsburg, Pa./Cumberland Valley (Pepperdine)) service ace.
• The Nittany Lions fought back after two attack errors and two service errors cut SFU lead to 10-9.
• With a one-point lead, SFU shifted momentum and rallied on a 6-2 run behind two Patrick Bryan (Emmaus, Pa./Emmaus) kills. Cole Thompson (Los Alamitos, Calif./Los Alamitos) also hammered a kill during the rally.
• The Red Flash managed to hold its lead until three-straight Penn State points forced SFU to call a timeout.
• The Red Flash capped the set with a big-time block from Hayden Herc (Eden, N.Y./Eden), Fisher, and Bryan).
• End of Set Two- SFU 25, PSU 20: Match tied 1-1

Third Set

• Penn State got the upper edge early in set three behind a pair of kills from Fisher and McLaren to take the 5-9 lead.
• SFU quickly busted back to knot things up at 13 following a service ace from Bryan

• Both teams never managed to budge the rest of the way as they battled back and forth.
• SFU had two more set points that Penn State fended off before storming to take the set with three consecutive points, including a kill by Brett Wildman
• End of Set Three- PSU 29, SFU 27: PSU Leads 2-1

Fourth Set

• The fourth set featured an early exchange in points before the Red Flash jumped out to a 11-7 lead, thanks to back to back Thompson kills
• A kill and two straight aces allowed Penn State to battle back and eventually tie things at 14.
• Both teams kept things close until Penn State secured the win off of three attack errors made by the Red Flash.
• End of Fourth Set- PSU 25, SFU 22: PSU wins 3-1

Game Notes

• PSU earned its first EIVA win of the season as SFU fell to 0-1 in conference play.
• The match featured 26 ties and 11 lead changes. The fourth set saw the most ties with 11 and five lead changes.
• Fisher had a match-high 24 kills to lead the Red Flash in finishes for the second-straight game. He also chipped in 9 digs.
• Thompson and Bryan each finished with 12 kills while Thompson had a match-high 12 digs.
• Redshirt junior BJ Blair (Bridgewater, Pa./Bridgewater Raritan) dished out a match-high 52 assists to go along with 2 blocks.
• Saint Francis finished with nine total blocks. Senior Hayden Herc (Eden, N.Y./Eden) contributed with three

 
Next Up
The Red Flash finish out the month of January at home as Lindenwood and McKendree come into Loretto for two non-conference match-ups. Friday's match is set to begin at 7 pm, while Saturday's game is slated for 1 pm.