LORETTO, Pa. – The Saint Francis men's volleyball team (1-6, 0-0) dropped a thriller in five sets to Loyola (4-0, 0-0) on Saturday afternoon.
Saint Francis 2, Loyola 3 (30-28, 17-25, 16-25, 25-23, 10-15)
Records: Saint Francis (1-6, 0-0) Loyola (4-0, 0-0)
Location: DeGol Arena (Loretto, Pa.)
COACH RUMBAUGH'S COMMENTS
"We're making progress and getting better and better every day, we just need to play more consistent over longer periods of time so we can beat teams of this caliber."
HOW IT HAPPENED
SET ONE
· The Red Flash kept things close early in the first set and with a big Blake Liprando kill, it tied 5-5.
· After two straight Loyola service, the Red Flash forced a timeout jumping ahead of the Ramblers 10-9.
· SFU continued to keep it close through set one, but not before Loyola forced a Red Flash timeout after jumping ahead 21-18.
· A big Joshua Blair service ace tied the set back up, 23-23.
· After going point for point, SFU went up 29-28, then Roman Szwabinsky picked up a huge solo block to take set one.
SET TWO
· After a Michael Fisher kill, the Red Flash cut the Loyola lead to 5-3 early in the second set.
· After a Red Flash error, Loyola jumped out to an 11-4 lead, forcing an SFU timeout.
· A service ace from Loyola put them ahead 25-17 and sealed the deal for the Ramblers, tying it at one.
SET THREE
· A Liprando kill, his eighth of the day, tied it up 5-5 early in the third set.
· A four-point run by the Ramblers put them on top 10-7 and forced a Red Flash timeout.
· Loyola continued to put up points jumping out to a six-point lead, making it 17-11 late.
· After a Loyola kill, the Red Flash were topped in set three 25-16. The Ramblers take a two to one set lead.
SET FOUR
· The Red Flash jump out to an early lead, 6-2 at the start of set four after a Fisher kill, his 16th on the day.
· Another big solo block from Szwabinsky put the Red Flash at 11-4 middle of the fourth set.
· Three straight points by Loyola put them within three but not before another big kill by Fisher kept the Red Flash on top, leading 19-15 late in the fourth set.
· The Red Flash held their lead to take set four 25-23 after a kill by Fisher to seal the deal and force a set five.
SET FIVE
· SFU kept things close early in set five, staying tied until the Red Flash jumped out on top 6-4 from a Loyola error.
· A five-point run by the Ramblers gave them a 10-8 lead in the set.
· A Red Flash error gave the Ramblers their 15th point, sealing the five-set win.
STATS
· Michael Fisher tied the game-high with 21 kills. Blake Liprando added 10 and Joshua Blair added eight.
· Roman Szwabinsky picked up a game-high 41 assists.
· Szwabinsky also led the Red Flash with four block assists and two solo blocks.
· SFU held the edge in kills (52-48), assists (46-41), and service aces (7-6).
· Loyola led in hitting percentage (.261-.137), total blocks (13-8), and digs (43-38).
GAME NOTES
· The win moves the all-time series to 14-2 in favor of Loyola.
· The fifth set saw five ties and two lead changes.
· Fisher's 21 kills are his most since Feb. 29, 2020 against George Mason (22 kills).
· Saint Francis is now 0-3 in five-set matches this season.
UP NEXT
The Red Flash is now set to begin EIVA conference play, making the quick trip to University Park to take on No. 11 Penn State. The matches will be played on Thursday (Feb. 4) at 8:00 p.m. and Saturday (Feb. 6) at 1:30 p.m.
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.
