LORETTO, Pa- The Saint Francis men's volleyball team clinched an EIVA postseason berth with its fourth-straight win, a 3-1 (25-23, 25-19, 25-23, 25-22) win of Charleston Saturday afternoon at DeGol Arena.
 
The win helps the Red Flash improve to 15-11 overall and 9-3 during conference play. Charlestons drops to 9-18 on the season and 1-11 during EIVA play.
 
How It Happened
 
First Set

• Saint Francis got off to a solid start to lead 10-6 on a kill by Patrick Bryan (Emmaus, Pa./Emmaus), forcing a Charleston timeout.
• Out of the timeout, the Red Flash quickly managed a 5-0 run to take a 15-7 lead.
• Charleston did not back down despite SFU offensive surge and clawed its way back on a 5-0 run to cut the deficit to three at 22-19.
• With the score at 24-20 Saint Francis, Charleston mustered three-straight points behind two kills and a Red Flash error to cut the lead to 24-23.
• SFU capped the set with a kill from Evan Feltz (Westerville, Ohio/St. Francis DeSales). 
• Set Score: SFU 25, UC 23- SFU leads 1-0

Second Set

• Feltz gave SFU an early 5-4 edge and later added his seventh kill of the match to put the Red Flash ahead 8-7.
• The Golden Eagles began its rally and built its first lead of the match at 9-8, but a Bryan kill and UC attack error turned the tables back to the Red Flash at 10-9.
• The middle of the set would feature a back and forth point exchange until five straight Red Flash attack errors helped the Golden Eagles to a 5-0 run and 20-16 set lead.
• SFU managed to bring the score within three at 22-19, but the Golden Eagles found the points it needed to clinch the set.
• Set Score: UC 25, SFU 19- Match Tied 1-1 

Third Set

• Following the second set victory, Charleston continued to ride the momentum with an early 11-8 lead and cause SFU to use its first timeout.
• After the timeout, the Red Flash came out firing on all cylinders with five of the next seven points to put things within one at 13-12, and eventually tie the game at 15-15.
• Both teams would battle back and forth until two-straight Charleston errors but the Red Flash ahead 21-19.
• Charleston pulled back within one at 24-23, but SFU eventually closed out the set on a Cole Thompson (Los Alamitos, Calif./Los Alamitos) kill.   
• Set Score: SFU 25, UC 23- SFU leads 2-1

Fourth Set

• SFU strung together the first run of the fourth set with four in a row to lead 7-3.
• The Golden Eagles would regroup and close the gap to two at 9-7, but later give up another three-point burst which gave SFU a 21-19 lead and force Charleston to call timeout.
• The Red Flash would take the next four points to win the set and match.
• Set Score: SFU 25, UC 22- SFU wins 3-1

 
Game Notes

• Feltz closed out his final game at DeGol Arena with a career-high 22 kills on 38 attacks (22-2-38). He also added five digs.
• Cole Thompson (Los Alamitos, Calif./Los Alamitos) stepped up and performed at a high level knocking down 11 kills on 29 tries.
• Blair dished out 49 assist and had a team-high nine digs.
• Redshirt junior Cole Carver (Hershey, Pa./Hershey) anchored the middle with five total blocks while Bryan added two
• Ariel Roberts had a team-high 13 kills to lead the Golden Eagles offensively.

Up Next
The Red Flash will close out the regular season next weekend as it travels back east to take on NJIT and Princeton.