LORETTO, Pa.- The Saint Francis men's volleyball team gained sole possession of third place in the EIVA with its third-straight win, a 3-0 (31-29, 25-23, 25-19) sweep of #15 George Mason Friday night at DeGol arena.
The Red Flash improves its record to 14-11 overall and 8-3 during conference play. George Mason drops to 14-8 overall and 7-4 during EIVA play.
How It Happened
First Set
- Both teams hung close with each other until Saint Francis scored two straight points capped by a George Mason attack error to make it 13-10.
- It didn't take long until the Patriots answered back with three straight points to knot the game at 13-13.
- The teams traded point for point until Saint Francis had a 24-22 lead. The Red Flash looked to have won the set but after a George Mason timeout, two straight errors allowed the Patriots to tie the set again at 24-24.
- Both teams had two chances to close the set that were stalled. A George Mason service error set up the Red Flash's third set point, an ace by Michael Fisher (Mechanicsburg, Pa./Cumberland Valley (Pepperdine)) gave Saint Francis the first set.
- Set Score: SFU 31 GMU 29- SFU leads 1-0
Second Set
- George Mason got the better of SFU early, leading 5-2 after a combination of errors from the Red Flash.
- The Red Flash took its first lead of the set 10-9 after three-point run topped by a Fisher kill.
- The Patriots regained its rhythm after a pair of kills from Kyle Barnes plus one from Hayden Wagner to take a 16-14 lead.
- The momentum continued to favor George Mason as they held a two-point lead until the Red Flash fought back to tie the game at 23-23.
- SFU took the next two points thanks to an attack errors and Cole Thompson (Los Alamitos, Calif./Los Alamitos) kill.
- Set Score: SFU 25 GMU 23- SFU leads 2-0
Third Set
- SFU got the upper edge early in the set three behind a pair of service errors and a kill from Patrick Bryan (Emmaus, Pa./Emmaus) to take the 12-9 lead.
- The Red Flash never trailed in the set after its early 2-1 deficit. The Patriots pulled within two points multiple times, but SFU always responded to hold its lead.
- Fisher, Bryan, and five George Mason errors gave the Red Flash a 21-17 lead and caused George Mason to call timeout.
- SFU managed to tack onto its lead the rest of the way, closing out the set by six.
- Set Score: SFU 25 GMU 19- SFU wins 3-0
Game Notes
- The Red Flash are now in sole possession of third place in the EIVA behind Penn State and Princeton.
- Saint Francis hit .306 (40-14-85) as a team for the match as George Mason hit .271 (38-15-85).
- SFU's Bryan led all players with 16 kills on 31 tries with four errors for a .387 hitting percentage.
- Fisher stepped in and bounced back from last weekend's performances knocking down 12 kills on 31 tries. He also contributed defensively with three digs and three block assists.
- BJ Blair (Bridgewater, NJ/Bridgewater Raritan) had 31 assists and showed some impressive defensive flashes with seven digs.
- Gabe Woffindin (Allentown, Pa./William Allen) also chipped in with seven digs on the night.
- Cole Carver (Hershey, Pa./Hershey) anchored the middle with three blocks while Hayden Herc (Eden, N.Y./Eden) added two.
- Hayden Wagner had a team-high seven kills to lead the Patriots offensively.
Up Next
The Red Flash welcome in the University of Charleston tomorrow at 4 p.m. Saint Francis will honor its five seniors in
Cole Thompson (Los Alamitos, Calif./Los Alamitos),
Evan Feltz (Westerville, Ohio/St. Francis DeSales),
Patrick Bryan (Emmaus, Pa./Emmaus),
Griffin Sangrey (Millersville, Pa./Penn Manor), and
Hayden Herc (Eden, N.Y./Eden) before first serve.
