Loretto, Pa. – The Saint Francis men's volleyball team (5-11, 2-5 EIVA) fell in four sets to #15 George Mason (9-7, 4-3 EIVA) on Saturday night in Loretto.
Set One
· The Red Flash, with momentum from Friday, got out to a quick 5-1 lead.
· SFU kept its lead consistent at 3-5 and reached its biggest lead at 12-6 after a Michael Fisher (Mechanicsburg, Pa./Cumberland Valley) kill.
· From there, Mason cut the lead to 16-13, but it was the closest they got, as SFU maintained and extended its lead and took set one by eight.
· Fisher led the set with nine kills and AJ Schmidt (Pittsburgh, PA/North Allegheny) added two.
· Roman Szwabinsky (Columbus, Ohio/Westerville South) picked up 12 assists.
· SFU hit a strong .483 in the set.
· Final Score: SFU 25, #15 George Mason 17
Set Two
· SFU jumped out to another early lead at 3-0.
· With the Red Flash up 10-5, Mason used a 5-1 lead to cut it to one but couldn't tie it. Then, after SFU extended the lead to 15-12, Mason answered with another run, this time 5-0, to take their first lead of the set.
· Down two, a huge block from Brandon Dunz (Lake View, NY/Frontier Senior High School) and AJ Schmidt (Pittsburgh, PA/North Allegheny) helped the Red Flash nod the set at 17.
· The teams traded points and found themselves tied at 25. Mason finished the set with two kills to take it.
· Fisher added eight kills in the set and Blake Liprando (Mechanicsburg, Pa./Cumberland Valley HS) registered two.
· Szwabinsky contributed 11 more helpers.
· Schmidt and Dunz each had two block assists.
· Final Score: #15 George Mason 27, SFU 25 (Tied 1-1).
Set Three
· Tied at 4-4, Mason took the first lead larger than one at 6-4.
· SFU quickly tied it at six, and them teams went back and forth with no lead more than three until Mason went up 13-10.
· The Patriots continued to add onto their lead, reaching their largest at 16-11.
· SFU was able to cut the lead to two at 23-21, but Mason scored the final two points for the set victory.
· Liprando and Schmidt each picked up four kills and Joseph Koszelak (North Tonawanda, N.Y./St. Joseph's Collegiate Institute) came in for eight assists.
· Final Score: #15 George Mason 25, SFU 21 (Mason leads 2-1).
Set Four
· The teams stayed within two to start the set. Tied at eight, Mason rattled off three straight points and five of six to lead 13-9.
· The Patriots continued to add to their lead, and reached a 17-11 advantage.
· SFU was able to cut it to 18-14, but that was the closest the team could get, and Mason finished the Red Flash in the fourth set by seven.
· Schmidt led the Red Flash with four kills and four digs in the set, and Koszelak contributed nine assists.
· Final Score: #15 George Mason 25, SFU 18 (Mason wins 3-1).
Box Score Notes
· Michael Fisher (Mechanicsburg, Pa./Cumberland Valley) had a game-high 22 kills. AJ Schmidt (Pittsburgh, PA/North Allegheny) added 11 and Blake Liprando (Mechanicsburg, Pa./Cumberland Valley HS) added 10.
· Roman Szwabinsky (Columbus, Ohio/Westerville South) picked up 26 assists and Joseph Koszelak (North Tonawanda, N.Y./St. Joseph's Collegiate Institute) picked up 17.
· Ryan Alu (Pipersville, PA/Central Bucks West) led SFU with eight digs, followed by Schmidt (6), Fisher and Liprando (5 each).
· Total Kills: SFU 52, Mason 45
· Assists: SFU 47, Mason 38
· Total Team Blocks: Mason 11.5, SFU 7
· Attack %: Mason .257, SFU .201
· Attack Errors: SFU 25, Mason 17
Up next for the Red Flash is a trip to the west coast, where they will take on Southern California on Thursday (3/5) and #9 Pepperdine on Friday (3/6). Both matches are set for 7 pm.
