LORETTO, Pa. – The Saint Francis men's volleyball team was swept by Charleston on Saturday afternoon, preventing the Red Flash from picking up its first conference win of the season.

After losing the first two sets by a combined six points, the Red Flash held a lead late in set three, 21-19, but the Golden Eagles scored six of the last nine points to complete the set comeback and the sweep.

Saint Francis 0, Charleston 3 (22-25, 22-25, 23-25)
Records: Saint Francis (1-10, 0-4), Charleston (2-2, 2-2)
Location: DeGol Arena (Loretto, Pa.)

HOW IT HAPPENED
SET ONE

• Errors on both sides and an Alex Finch kill pushed the teams to an early 4-4 tie.
• After a 6-6 tie, Charleston scored seven of the next 10 points to take 13-9 lead.
• Kills by Thomas Leahey and AJ Schmidt helped the Red Flash cut into the deficit, but answers by the Golden Eagles helped them stretch their lead to seven at 18-11.
• The Red Flash comeback attempt cut it to two, but Charleston took set one, 25-22.

SET TWO

• After another back and forth start, the teams found themselves locked at three, but a Schmidt kill and a Red Flash block gave SFU a two-point lead.
• The teams reached another tie at seven, leading to ties at every point through 16.
• After being nodded at 16, Charleston was able to take a two-point lead, hanging onto it to take set two, 25-22.

SET THREE

• The first lead greater than one in set three came when SFU took a 9-7 lead on a Charleston error.
• Charleston answered with three points of their own to retake the lead.
• Much like set two, the Red Flash and the Golden Eagles traded points through the teens, staying within two until SFU took a 19-16 lead.
• A Blake Liprando ace gave the Red Flash a 21-18 lead, and SFU eventually found itself up 22-19.
• A rush from Charleston tied the set at 23, and an ace gave them a one-point advantage and match point.
• A block sealed the deal for Charleston, who won the set, 25-23, and picked up the sweep.

STATS

• Kills were 40-31 in favor of Charleston along with assists (36-35), digs (30-25), team blocks (7.0-5.0), and hitting percentage (.264-.183).
• SFU had 16 attack errors compared to 17 from Charleston, and 15 service errors compared to 14 from Charleston. 

RED FLASH STAT LEADERS
Kills – Michael Fisher (8), AJ Schmidt/Joshua Blair (6)
Asst. – Roman Szwabinsky (12), Ryan Parker (11)
Digs – Roman Szwabinsky (6)
Blocks – Joshua Blair (3 block asst.)

UP NEXT
The Red Flash will return to action on Friday (Feb. 19) against No. 12 George Mason for the first of two weekend matchups in Fairfax. Matches are set for Friday at 7 p.m. and Saturday at 4 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.