LORETTO, Pa. – The Saint Francis men's volleyball team fell to Charleston on Friday night in five sets.

The Red Flash took a 2-1 lead after three sets behind a match-high 15 kills from Michael Fisher, but the Golden Eagles were able to take the final two, including an 18-16 set five win, for the match.

Saint Francis 2, Charleston 3 (21-25, 25-17, 26-24, 20-25, 16-18)
Records: Saint Francis (1-9, 0-3), Charleston (1-2, 1-2)
Location: DeGol Arena (Loretto, Pa.)

COACH RUMBAUGH'S COMMENTS
"It was a close battle and we came up on the losing side. I really like what we're doing with our block, but you can't win a match with 31 missed serves."

HOW IT HAPPENED
SET ONE

• A Joshua Blair ace kicked off the scoring, the first point SFU scored on its way to an early 3-0 lead.
• Charleston answered with a quick run to tie the set at five, then take a one-point lead.
• After a 6-6 tie, the teams traded points nearly the rest of the way, staying within one until a Charleston kill put them up, 18-16.
• After a 21-20 Charleston lead, the Golden Eagles scored four of the final five points to take set one, 25-21.

SET TWO

• Three Red Flash kills and blocks by Thomas Leahey and AJ Schmidt helped Saint Francis jump out to a 6-0 lead.
• SFU continued to pile on, taking advantage of Charleston errors and finding open spots, forcing a Golden Eagles timeout up 12-3.
• Out of the timeout, the teams traded points, but SFU continued to extend the lead, eventually reaching 10.
• Charleston was able to cut the Red Flash lead to six at 21-15, but a Red Flash block and a Charleston error propelled SFU to a set win, 25-17.

SET THREE

• The Golden Eagles took the early lead in set three, 5-1.
• Two quick kills from Blake Liprando cut into the Charleston lead, and a Blair kill tied the set at seven.
• Following the tie, the teams traded blows to a tie at 11 before Charleston jumped ahead, 14-11.
• Charleston shortly held to hold onto a 2-3 point lead, but an ace from Leahey tied the set at 16.
• A Schmidt kill gave the Red Flash a 17-16 lead, forcing a Golden Eagles timeout.
• The teams found themselves tied at 19, but kills by Blair, Roman Szwabinsky, and Schmidt put the Red Flash up three.
• With SFU up 23-20, Charleston scored the next four to take a 24-23 lead before a Leahey kill tied the set.
• Two Charleston errors gave the Red Flash the third set, 26-24, and a 2-1 lead.

SET FOUR

• Charleston jumped out to a 3-0 lead before a kill by Schmidt put the Red Flash on the board.
• The Golden Eagles continued to stretch their lead, reaching seven at 13-6.
• Saint Francis scored the next four points to cut the lead to three, but Charleston was able to hold onto its lead through the teens.
• Down 20-14, the Red Flash scored five of the next seven points to cut it to three, but Charleston managed to close the set out, 25-20, and send the match to five.

SET FIVE

• A huge dig by Blair led to an Alex Finch kill for the first point of set five.
• Charleston answered with three unanswered points and four of five to take a 4-3 lead.
• The teams reached ties at points 5-7, but Charleston then scored the next four points to take an 11-7 lead, forcing an SFU timeout.
• Out of the timeout, Saint Francis scored the next two points, but Charleston was able to grab a 14-11 lead.
• A Red Flash block tied the match at 14, then the teams sat even at 15 and 16.
• Charleston then scored the final two points, capped off by a kill, to take the set 18-16 and win the match.

STATS

• Kills were 58-53 in favor of the Red Flash, along with assists (54-47), digs (55-50), and team blocks (11.5-5.5).
• Saint Francis committed 31 service errors and 18 attack errors. Charleston committed 18 on the serve and 25 on the attack.
• Saint Francis also held the edge in hitting percentage at .282-.194.

RED FLASH STAT LEADERS
Kills – Michael Fisher (15; match-high), Thomas Leahey (12)
Asst – Roman Szwabinsky (47; match-high)
Digs – Nicholas Pozzuto (12; match-high)
Blocks – Thomas Leahey (1 solo, 8 asst; match-high)

UP NEXT
The Red Flash and the Golden Eagles will conclude their weekend series on Saturday afternoon. The match is set for 4:00 p.m. and will be broadcasted on NEC Front Row.

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.