Columbus, OH- The Saint Francis men's volleyball team grinded out five sets for its first road win of the season 3-2 (25-18, 25-21, 16-25, 25-27, 15-12) over No.14 Ohio State Friday night at St. Johns Arena in Columbus, Ohio. It was the first win over a ranked team since the team defeated No. 8 Stanford in 2018. Furthermore, it is only the second time that Saint Francis beat Ohio State in volleyball. The previous triumph occurred in 2010.
 
The Red Flash improved its record to 5-3 overall, 0-1 in EIVA play. Ohio State dropped to 3-5 overall, 0-1 in MIVA play.
 
How It Happen
 
First Set

• Both teams hung close with each other early until SFU scored four-straight points capped by a kill from Michael Fisher (Mechanicsburg, Pa./Cumberland Valley (Pepperdine)) to make it 12-8 which forced Ohio State to call timeout.
• SFU never trailed in the set after its early 6-5 deficit. Ohio State managed to chip at the lead, but the Red Flash responded and kept composure.
• Ohio State called its last timeout after Fisher and Griffin Sangrey (Millersville,Pa./Penn Manor) combined for a four-point rally and extended the lead to 21-15.
• The Red Flash capped the set with a service error and Cole Thompson (Los Alamitos, Calif./Los Alamitos) kill.
• End of Set One- SFU 25, OSU 18
• SFU leads 1-0

Second Set

• The Red Flash got the upper edge early in set two behind a pair of kills from BJ Blair (Bridgewater, NJ/Bridgewater Raritan) and Patrick Bryan (Emmaus, Pa./Emmaus) to take the 12-8 lead.
• SFU kept a comfortable cushion until it turned on the jets at 16-9 thanks to an ace and two kills from Fisher and Thompson.
• Ohio State battled back with four-straight points to cut the lead to 20-16 before three errors helped SFU extend its lead to 23-17.
• The Buckeyes rallied off another four-straight points before back-to-back Fisher kills clinched the set for the Red Flash.  
• End of Set Two- SFU 25, OSU 18
• SFU leads 2-0

Third Set

• An SFU attack error capped a three-point run for Ohio State early in the set to build a 10-7 lead and force SFU to call a timeout.
• Ohio State continued to apply force on a 6-2 run before SFU clawed back within three to trail 16-13.
• The Buckeyes managed to not let their lead dip as Sean Ryan and Martin Lallemand developed momentum for Ohio State offense.
•  Three-straight attack errors put the set-in favor of the Buckeyes.
• End of Set Three- OSU 25, SFU 16
• SFU leads 2-1

Fourth Set

• Much like the first two sets, both teams exchanged points until the Buckeyes broke out on a 5-2 run to lead 14-12.
• The Buckeyes led as much as four at 17-13 before SFU began chipping away at the lead. A Thompson kill and Fisher ace cut Ohio State's lead to just 18-17. Fisher and Thompson followed up shortly after with back-to-back points to tie the game at 19-19.
• OSU managed to take a 24-22 set point led before back-to-back kills by Fisher knotted the set at 24 and forced the Buckeyes to call a timeout.
• Ohio State eventually tallied two-straight points out of the timeout to win the set and tie the match.
• End of Set Four- OSU 27, SFU 25
• Match tied 2-2

Fifth Set

• Neither team led by more than two points in the early part of the set as both teams battled back and forth.
• The Red Flash went on a 3-2 run courtesy of three kills by Fisher that were set up beautifully by Blair.
• Ohio State rallied back to tie the score at seven before another three-point run extended the lead to 10-7 and forced OSU to call a timeout.
• SFU closed the match on a 4-1 run behind a vicious Fisher kill.
• End of Set Five- SFU 15, OSU 11
• SFU wins 3-2

Game Notes

• Ohio State still lead the all-time series 2-29 against the Red Flash. Tonight's win marked the first time SFU beat the Buckeyes at St. Johns Arena.
• SFU's Fisher led all players with 27 kills on 56 ties with 13 errors for a .250 hitting percentage.
• Bryan stepped in and performed at a high level knocking down 14 kills on 32 tries. He contributed defensively with seven digs and three block assists.
• Thompson notched his third double-digit performance in kills with 12 while leading the team in digs with 10.
• Redshirt junior Cole Carver (Hershey, Pa./Hershey) anchored the middle with three and a half blocks while Hayden Herc (Eden, N.Y./Eden) added two.
• Martin Lallemand had a team-high 15 kills to lead the Buckeye offensively.

Next Up…
The Red Flash head back on the road for three non-conference matches against Belmont Abbey, Queens of Charlotte, and #2 Hawaii. Matches begin on Friday and conclude on Sunday afternoon.
 
For all the latest on Saint Francis men's volleyball, follow @RedFlashMVB on social media and visit sfuathletics.com.