CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The Saint Francis men's volleyball team (0-2, 0-0) dropped its first two matches of the season on Friday to Limestone (1-0, 0-0) and Queens (1-0, 0-0).

COACH RUMBAUGH'S COMMENTS

"The shortened preseason definitely has us behind where I want us to be. Both of our opponents played harder and much cleaner than us. The small details and consistency were definitely on their side of the net. I was glad that a lot of our players were able to finally play live for the first time in their careers."

GAME 1

Limestone 3, SFU 1 (17-25, 25-20, 20-25, 26-28)
Records: Saint Francis (0-1, 0-0), Limestone (1-0, 0-0)
Location: Curry Arena (Charlotte, N.C.)

KEY MOMENTS

·         Limestone used a 9-3 run in the first set to jump out to a lead they did not surrender.

·         In set two, SFU used a 5-2 run to even the score at nine, and continued to trade points until the Red Flash extended its lead to four at 22-18 before closing the set with a win.

·         In set three, Limestone used an 9-3 run to grab a five-point lead, holding on to win the set by five.

·         SFU's only lead in set four was at 1-0, seeing seven ties in the tight set before Limestone took the match.

HOW IT HAPPENED

·         The match began square, as SFU and Limestone traded points and stayed within two until Limestone jumped out to a 13-10 lead.

·         Limestone continued to add to its lead, taking a seven-point advantage late in the set.

·         SFU was able to cut the lead down slightly, but Limestone held on for a 25-17 set one win.

·         In set two, Limestone continued to make their presence felt by jumping out to a quick lead, but the Red Flash answered and traded scores through five.

·         After falling behind 11-10, SFU did not trail again, taking set two 25-20.

·         SFU took an early lead in set three, but Limestone answered and went up five. The Saints held onto the lead and took set three 25-20.

·         In set four, SFU scored the first point, turning out to be the only lead of the set.

·         The Red Flash kept it close and saw seven ties, the last one at 26, before Limestone took the set 28-26.

STATS

·         Alexander Finch led SFU with 13 kills.

·         Roman Szwabinsky registered 22 assists with AJ Schmidt adding 12.

·         Brandon Dunz picked up four block assists for the team lead.

·         SFU tallied more aces than Limestone, but the Saints had more kills, assists, and digs.

·         Saint Francis had a .129 hitting percentage compared to .222 from Limestone.

GAME NOTES

·         The win brought the series history to 1-1.

·         Limestone picked up its first win against a D1 opponent since 2013.

·         SFU is short-staffed for the weekend but gained solid contributions from Alexander Finch, Matthew Menosky, and Trevor Lewis.

GAME 2

Queens 3, SFU 2 (25-22, 16-25, 25-19, 21-25, 5-15)
Records: Saint Francis (0-2, 0-0), Queens (1-0, 0-0)
Location: Curry Arena (Charlotte, N.C)

KEY MOMENTS

·         Set one was closed out by the Red Flash, who saw its biggest lead at 16-12. Queens rallied to tie at 22 but SFU held on to win by scoring the final three points.

·         An early 9-4 lead in set two proved enough for the Royals, stopping any Red Flash runs to win the set by nine and tie the match at one.

·         Tied at eight in the third set, the Red Flash scored nine out of 12 points to take a 17-11 lead. Queens cut the lead to two late, but SFU held on for a six-point win.

·         Queens took control in set four by jumping out to a 7-2 lead. SFU was never able to recover, and the Royals won by four to send it to a fifth set.

·         The fifth set was all Queens, who led the entire set to win 3-2.

HOW IT HAPPENED

·         Set one saw close action throughout, as the teams stayed within two until the Red Flash went up 16-12.

·         Queens was able to tie it at 22, but SFU scored the final three points to win the set.

·         In set two, Queens jumped out to a quick 9-4 lead, never surrendering the advantage and pulling away to take the set, 25-16.

·         After being tied at eight in the third set, SFU scored nine out of 12 to go up six.

·         SFU stopped a late Queens rally to take set three, 25-19.

·         SFU never led in set four, with Queens pulling away to win, and send the match to five.

·         Queens forced an SFU timeout leading 9-2, and held on for a 15-5 win.

STATS

·         Braden Richard and Zac Cabral led SFU with 11 kills.

·         AJ Schmidt picked up 41 assists on 49 Red Flash kills.

·         Cabral also led SFU with four blocks.

·         SFU led in kills (49-44) and assists (47-44).

·         SFU had more errors than Queens (32-18).

GAME NOTES

·         The win was Queens' first ever over the Red Flash.

UP NEXT

Saint Francis will take on Queens again on Saturday at 3 pm. Broadcast and stats will be available at the same website as Friday's matches.

Follow Saint Francis Men's Volleyball on Twitter and Instagram to get up-to-date information and a behind-the-scenes look at the Red Flash.

To learn more about Saint Francis University, visit francis.edu.