Loretto, Pa- The Saint Francis men's volleyball team continues its road swing with two critical EIVA matchups against Harvard on Saturday and Sacred Heart on Sunday.
 
Follow Along
Saturday Mar 30th
@ Harvard- 4 p.m.
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Sunday Mar 31st
@ Sacred Heart- 3 p.m.
Live Stats 
 
Scouting the Crimson
Harvard enters the weekend tied in fourth place with the Red Flash in the conference standings. The Crimsons currently hold a 6-10 overall record and 5-3 conference record after splitting the weekend against Barton College and Mount Olive. A well-balanced team, Harvard is led in scoring by two different outside hitters: sophomore Griffin Schmit and freshman Campbell Schoenfeld who each have over 150 points this season. Schmit commands a team-high 136 kills as Schoenfeld follows close behind with 134.
 
Series History
The Crimson are 10-12 against the Red Flash in program history virtue of winning the last two matchups.
 
Scouting the Pioneers
Sacred Heart recently earned its third win of the season after taking down Kean University in straight sets. A couple nights before, the Pioneers fell to fourth place Harvard in straight sets. The Pioneers are led offensively by outside attacker Emerson Waumans (3.17k/s) and setter Noah Ricchetti (8.00a/s). Both hold a top five position in the EIVA in their respective categories. Defensively, Rob Chatterton and Taylor Bloomquist are each averaging more than one block per set which also puts them top five in the conference.
 
Series History
Saint Francis leads the all-time series, 21-4. The Red Flash defeated Sacred Heart 3-0 in its first match up this season, Patrick Bryan (Emmaus, Pa./Emmaus) and Evan Feltz (Westerville, Ohio/St. Francis DeSales) displayed an offensive surge in the win.
 
Thompson Finding A Groove
Cole Thompson (Los Alamitos, Calif./Los Alamitos) is quickly becoming one of Red Flash's go-to offensive players and has been stepping up in the last few matches. Against Purdue Fort Wayne, Thompson came out swinging with 14 kills while hitting .158 (14-8-38) for the match. He also collected seven digs defensively.
 
The redshirt junior is third on the team in kills (168) and points (163.5) this season while also ranking fourth on the squad in digs (71) and sixth in blocks (17).
 
Final Push
Following the loss on Tuesday, the Red Flash slipped from third place to the fourth, which places them in a deadlock with Harvard. This upcoming weekend will be crucial for the Red Flash playoff hopes. As it currently stands, Princeton, George Mason, and Penn State hold the top three positions which leaves Saint Francis and Harvard fighting for the fourth spot.
 
For all the latest on Saint Francis men's volleyball, follow @RedFlashMVB on social media and visit sfuathletics.com.