Columbus, Ohio – The Saint Francis men's volleyball team (1-1) fell to Ohio State (3-0) on Thursday, 3-0.

After finishing its season opener less than 24 hours prior, the Red Flash battled but came up short in each of the three sets, losing 25-18, 25-20 and 25-19.

In the first set, Christian Graziano (Williamsville, N.Y./Willamsville South) recorded five of his game-high 10 kills, but Ohio State found itself in the driver's seat, taking a lead and holding on, eventually pulling away and winning 25-18.

The second set was the closet. The Red Flash outkilled the Buckeyes 11-10 with only three errors, but Ohio State was able to hold on and take it 25-20. SFU tied the match six separate times, but could never pull ahead.

Ohio State wrapped it up in the third set, 25-19. Though the teams each had 9 kills, 10 Red Flash errors helped the Buckeyes close the match and the sweep.

Team Comparison

·         Total Kills – SFU 28, Ohio State 30

·         Errors – SFU 21, Ohio State 12

·         Hitting % – SFU .090, Ohio State .254

Box Score Notes

·         Christian Graziano (Williamsville, N.Y./Willamsville South) hit .533 for a game-high 10 kills

·         Roman Szwabinsky (Columbus, Ohio/Westerville South) finished with 18 assists

·         Blake Liprando (Mechanicsburg, Pa./Cumberland Valley HS) led the Red Flash with six digs

·         Cole Carver (Hershey, PA/Hershey) led the match with four block assists while also adding a solo­­

Up next for the Red Flash is a week-long break before traveling to Saint Charles, Mo. for an 8:00 p.m. matchup with Lindenwood University (1/17).