Bristol, Tenn. – The Saint Francis men's volleyball team (2-3) defeated King University (2-5) in a five-set thriller on Friday night.

Set One

·         King jumped out to a 4-1 start.

·         The Red Flash battled back and eventually tied the set at nine.

·         King followed with another quick run to extend its lead back to three at 13-10.

·         SFU tied it again at 13, then the rest of the set saw nip and tuck action with no lead for either team greater than two for the rest of the set.

·         The teams eventually found themselves tied at 24, 25, 26, 27 and 28 before King scored the final two points for the win.  

·         Blake Liprando (Mechanicsburg, Pa./Cumberland Valley HS) led the Red Flash with six kills and Joshua Blair (Matterson. Illnois/Marian Catholic) added five.

·         BJ Blair (Bridgewater, NJ/Bridgewater Raritan) was credited with 17 assists in the set.

·         Final Score: King 30, SFU 28

Set Two

·         SFU began the set with a 6-3 lead.

·         The Red Flash held the lead the entire set, going up seven at one point and holding the advantage until the end.

·         SFU pulled away even further late in the set, defeating King by nine.

·         Michael Fisher (Mechanicsburg, Pa./Cumberland Valley) led the Red Flash with five kills in the frame.

·         BJ Blair (Bridgewater, NJ/Bridgewater Raritan) added ten more assists.

·         Final Score: SFU 25, King 16

Set Three

·         The teams traded points to start the third set, seeing ties at every point until 6-6.

·         King took a two-point lead shortly after and held onto it, but SFU kept it within striking distance until the Tornado extended it to five at 20-15.

·         The Red Flash gave it another run to cut it back to two, but King finished the Red Flash off and won by four.

·         Blake Liprando (Mechanicsburg, Pa./Cumberland Valley HS) had four kills in the set and Michael Fisher (Mechanicsburg, Pa./Cumberland Valley) added three.

·         BJ Blair (Bridgewater, NJ/Bridgewater Raritan) reached ten assists in the set again.

·         Final Score: King 25, SFU 21

Set Four

·         The teams began the set close yet again before the Red Flash used a 4-0 run to take a 7-3 lead.

·         SFU gained a five-point lead at 12-7, but King answered shortly after to tie the match at 13.

·         The Red Flash regained control after squandering the lead, bringing its margin back up to four at 19-15.

·         SFU held off any King attempt at a comeback and closed out the set to tie the match at two.

·         Joshua Blair (Matterson. Illnois/Marian Catholic) recorded four kills in the set to lead the Red Flash.

·         Final Score: SFU 25, King 19

Set Five

·         SFU jumped out to a 5-2 start.

·         After taking the lead, the Red Flash never looked back, extending its lead to four and never letting King get closer than two.

·         SFU extended the lead again, eventually wrapping up the match with a three-point win.

·         Joshua Blair (Matterson. Illnois/Marian Catholic) registered three kills in the set.

·         Roman Szwabinsky (Columbus, Ohio/Westerville South) had seven helpers in the frame.

·         Final Score: SFU 15, King 12

Box Score Notes

·         Joshua Blair (Matterson. Illnois/Marian Catholic) led the match and the team with 17 kills. Michael Fisher (Mechanicsburg, Pa./Cumberland Valley) added 16 and Blake Liprando (Mechanicsburg, Pa./Cumberland Valley HS) added 14.

·         BJ Blair (Bridgewater, NJ/Bridgewater Raritan) finished with 37 assists and Roman Szwabinsky (Columbus, Ohio/Westerville South) finished with 18.

·         SFU finished with 13 block assists, including 5 form Brandon Dunz (Lake View, NY/Frontier Senior High School).

·         SFU outkilled King, 64-40.

·         Attack percentage went to the Red Flash (.266-.125).

·         SFU also had 60 total assists compared to 36 from King.

Up next for the Red Flash is a 2:00 p.m. matchup on Saturday against Lincoln Memorial University in Harrogate, Tenn.