Box Score

Long Beach, CA- The Saint Francis men's volleyball team dropped its second-straight match on its California road trip with a 3-0 loss (12-25, 21-25, 14-25) to first-ranked Long Beach State Saturday evening at the Walter Pyramid Center.
 
The Red Flash now stand at 11-8 overall after a two-game losing skid. LBSU continues its undefeated season at 16-0.
 
First Set

• Long Beach State took control early in the first set with three-point run to lead 8-3.
• Patrick Bryan (Emmaus, Pa./Emmaus) picked up a kill while a couple Long Beach errors helped bring SFU back within five at 10-5.
• Long Beach State scored eight of the last nine points in the set to take control of the first set.
• The Red Flash struggled on the attack with a .236 hitting percentage ( 8-3-21) while Long Beach hit .545 (14-2-22).
• Set Score: LBSU 25, SFU 12- LBSU leads 1-0

Second Set

• SFU took its first lead of the set at 6-4 after a Bryan and Cole Thompson (Los Alamitos, Calif./Los Alamitos) kill followed by a LBSU error.
• Neither team led by more than two for majority of the set as both teams battled back and forth.
• Down by one, a Thompson kill knotted things at 17 before LBSU broke away three straight points to take its largest lead of the set at 20-17.
• A Michael Fisher (Mechanicsburg, Pa./Cumberland Valley (Pepperdine)) kill cut the lead back within two at 21-19 but Long Beach State capitalized on two errors and a kill to close the set by four.
• Set Score: LBSU 25, SFU 21: LBSU leads 2-0

Third Set

• Another quick start to the third set put Long Beach in front 12-7 and eventually led to a Saint Francis timeout.
• Long Beach continued to build onto its lead before a challenge put another halt in play at 17-9.
• The Red Flash took three of the next five points behind an error and Fisher kill but back to back kills gave Long Beach the final points to clinch the third set and the match.
• Set Score: LBSU 25, SFU 14: LBSU wins 3-0

 Game Notes

• Fisher led the way offensively for the Red Flash with a team-high 10 kills. Fisher also had a match-high 24 attacks while hitting .250 (10-4-24).
• Despite not starting the last few games, Thompson added seven kills at a. 200 hitting clip (7-3-20).
• Patrick Bryan (Emmaus, Pa./Emmaus) contributed with four kills on 18 swings (4-6-18) and had four digs.
• TJ Defalco led the way for Long Beach State with 11 kills on a .381 hitting percentage (11-3-21). He also contributed defensively with three blocks an two digs.
• Long Beach State outhit the Red Flash for the match .471 to .093 and held the edge in total digs 29-18 and aces 5-1.

 
Up Next
The Red Flash will hit the road again, but this time to the Midwest, to take on Ball State and Purdue-Fort Wayne.