LORETTO, Pa. – The Red Flash men's volleyball team (1-4, 0-0) hosts the Red Flash Invitational this weekend in Loretto, welcoming No. 4 Lewis, Loyola, and NJIT to town. Saint Francis will take on Lewis on Friday and Loyola on Saturday.
THE MATCHUP: Saint Francis (1-4, 0-0 EIVA) vs. No. 4 Lewis (3-0, 0-0 MIVA)
Location: DeGol Arena (Loretto, Pa.)
Date and Time: Friday, Jan. 29 – 12:00 p.m.
Watch: NEC Front Row
Live Stats: Sidearm Stats
SCOUTING THE FLYERS
No. 4 Lewis comes to Loretto after a 3-0 start, with a four-set win against Campbellsville (Ky.) and sweeps against Queens and Lincoln Memorial. The Flyers were picked to win the MIVA in their preseason poll, beating out Loyola and Ball State for the spot. Lewis will battle the Red Flash Friday before playing NJIT on Saturday at DeGol Arena.
Leading the way for Lewis is Ryan Coenen, who leads the team with 37 kills. Tyler Mitchem is second with 29, and the Flyers have four more players with double-digit kills so far. Passing for Lewis is Kevin Kauling, who has 103 of 114 team assists. Defensively, Mitchem leads with 19 total blocks, followed by TJ Murray with 11.
SERIES HISTORY
Lewis leads the series, 19-2. In their last meeting (Jan. 19, 2018) Lewis swept Saint Francis in Romeoville. Currently, the Flyers are on a four-match win streak against the Red Flash, with the most recent Red Flash win coming in 2016 (3-2).
THE MATCHUP: Saint Francis (1-4, 0-0 EIVA) vs. Loyola (2-0, 0-0 MIVA)
Location: DeGol Arena (Loretto, Pa.)
Date and Time: Saturday, Jan. 30 – 2:30 p.m.
Watch: NEC Front Row
Live Stats: Sidearm Stats
SCOUTING THE RAMBLERS
Loyola began their season 2-0, with wins against Lincoln Memorial, 3-2, and Queens, 3-0. They began the season picked second in the MIVA preseason poll behind Lewis. The Ramblers will take on NJIT on Friday in Loretto before the Saturday matchup with the Red Flash.
Loyola is led by the duo of Cole Schlothauer and Luke Denton, who have combined for 60 of the Ramblers 93 total kills this season. The passing department is led by Garrett Zolg, who leads the team with 75 assists. On defense, Jimmy Meinhart leads Loyola with 12 block assists, and four Ramblers players have registered double-digit digs.
SERIES HISTORY
Loyola leads the series, 13-2. The most recent matchup featured a sweep by Loyola, taking down the Red Flash in Chicago. The Ramblers have won two in a row against the Red Flash, with the last SFU win coming in 2016 (3-2).
LAST TIME OUT
Last weekend, the Red Flash fell to King twice, 3-1 on Friday and 3-2 on Saturday. On Saturday, Joshua Blair set a career-high with 23 kills en route to his first EIVA Offensive Player of the Week award. Zac Cabral also registered a career-high in kills on Saturday, notching 15 in the five-set battle.
BOUNCING BACK
After dropping both matches to King last weekend, the Red Flash will look to get back into the win column and post their first home win of 2021. SFU has not started 1-5 or worse since 2015, and will look to pick up two wins against strong MIVA opponents.
BUILDING BLOCKS
On Saturday, Joshua Blair and Zac Cabral each set career-highs in kills, picking up 23 and 15, respectively. The Red Flash will look to build on this leadership and continue to find the chemistry needed with a young team that includes three freshmen with more than one set played.
DEPTH
Heading into the weekend, the Red Flash have gotten kills from 13 players, including nine already in double digits. Alex Finch leads the squad with 50 on the year, followed by Blair with 44 and Cabral with 39. The Red Flash will look to continue utilizing its depth in an action-packed weekend that will require solid team efforts on both days.
NEXT UP
Following the weekend, the Red Flash will be set to begin EIVA conference play, taking on No. 11 Penn State on Thursday (Feb. 4) at 8:00 p.m. and Saturday (Feb. 6) at 1:30 p.m. Broadcast information will be available in the coming week.
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.
