St. Charles, Mo. – The Saint Francis men's volleyball team (1-1) is back in action this weekend, beginning in St. Charles for a Friday night match at Lindenwood University followed by a quick trip to Lebanon, Ill. to visit McKendree University.
Scouting Lindenwood
SFU has a date with Lindenwood on Friday night at 8:00 p.m. After coming off a 9-19 season, Lindenwood has begun the 2020 campaign 1-1, with a loss against Mount Olive and a win over Lincoln Memorial. The Lions are a member of the MIVA, a conference that the Red Flash will play five times.
Lindenwood is led by the duo of Diego Negron and AJ Lewis, who are tied for the team lead with 22 kills. The Lions have also seen Sam Schindler register 13 total blocks and Elijah Tabuarua add 55 assists for the team leads.
Though Lindenwood has lost four sets compared to three sets won, they only trail opponents by three kills and two assists. They have also out-blocked their opponents thus far.
Series History: Lindenwood leads, 2-1
After winning the first ever matchup between the teams in 2017 (3-2), SFU has dropped the past two meetings with Lions, including a 3-0 loss in 2018 and a 3-2 loss last season in Loretto. The Red Flash will look to even the series on Lindenwood's home court.
Scouting McKendree
After the Lindenwood match, the Red Flash will jump over to Lebanon, Ill. to take on McKendree on Saturday at 8:00 p.m. McKendree opened the season with a win over #13 CSUN, but has lost its last two matches. The Bearcats have been tested over the losses, falling to #6 Long Beach State and #4 UC Santa Barbara. McKendree is also in the MIVA, but will host EIVA foe NJIT on Friday night before the Red Flash gets to town.
At libero for McKendree is Francisco Comas, who received the Off the Block National Libero of the Week after playing in all three matches and recording 32 digs – good for first in the conference. He also added 10 assists.
Series History: McKendree leads, 2-1
McKendree won the first two meetings between the teams in 2017 and 2018, both 3-1. Last season, the Red Flash hosted the Bearcats at DeGol, defeating them 3-1. In the match, Michael Fisher (Mechanicsburg, Pa./Cumberland Valley) registered a game-high 20 kills and BJ Blair (Bridgewater, NJ/Bridgewater Raritan) added 38 assists.
AVCA Top 15
After a win against #7 Stanford, the Red Flash received three votes in the AVCA DI Top 15 Poll. SFU is on the fringe, but three EIVA teams are ranked in the top 15 for the first time since 1998 (#11 Princeton, #13 George Mason, #14 Penn State).
EIVA OPOW
Michael Fisher (Mechanicsburg, Pa./Cumberland Valley) was named EIVA Offensive Player of the Week after a career-high 29 kills against Stanford. The award marks Fisher's fourth career EIVA Offensive Player of the Week Award and first of the season.
Getting Back in the Win Column
After playing Ohio State on Jan. 9, SFU has been forced to wait eight days before Friday's match at Lindenwood. The Red Flash will look to get back on track by picking up two wins on back-to-back days in the Midwest.
