NEWARK, N.J. – The Red Flash men's volleyball team was swept by No. 14 NJIT on Thursday night in Newark.

The Red Flash got nine kills from Blake Liprando and four block assists from Joshua Blair, and freshman Peyton Blain picked up two service aces in his one set of play, but Saint Francis could not stop the NJIT attack, giving the Highlanders their fifth win in six matches.

Saint Francis 0, No. 14 NJIT 3 (21-25, 14-25, 16-25)
Records: Saint Francis (1-13, 0-7), NJIT (6-3, 6-1)
Location: NJIT Wellness and Events Center (Newark, N.J.)

HOW IT HAPPENED
SET ONE

• Kills from Michael Fisher and Thomas Leahey helped the Red Flash to an early 3-3 tie, but the Highlanders scored the next five points for an 8-3 lead.
• After NJIT took a 10-5 lead, the Red Flash rattled off four straight points to cut the lead back to one.
• The set of runs continued, with the Highlanders using a 4-1 run to regain a five-point lead.
• Another Red Flash run, this time 4-0, brought the teams to another tie, and Saint Francis took the lead at 17-16.
• Two errors by the Highlanders gave the Red Flash a 19-17 lead, but six straight NJIT points gave them a 23-19 lead, eventually resulting in an NJIT set win, 25-21.

SET TWO

• NJIT jumped out 2-0, but SFU immediately answered to tie.
• The teams began to trade points, staying within two until five straight points from NJIT gave them a 16-11 lead.
• NJIT continued to stay hot, extending their lead to 11 to take set two, 25-14.

SET THREE

• Consecutive kills from Blake Liprando gave the Red Flash an early 2-1 lead, but neither team could grab an early advantage.
• After the Highlanders took a 9-5 lead, they were able to hold onto the margin through the teens, forcing a Red Flash timeout at 16-11.
• Out of the timeout, the Highlanders held their lead for the duration of the set, winning it, 25-16, and completing the sweep.

STATS

• NJIT held the advantage in kills (30-23), assists (24-19), blocks (11-6), and hitting percentage (.279-(-.026))
• The Red Flash led in digs (24-22) and service aces (4-3).

RED FLASH STATISTICAL LEADERS
KILLS – Blake Liprando (9)
ASST – AJ Schmidt (11)
DIGS – AJ Schmidt (6)
ACES – Peyton Blain (2)
BLOCKS – Joshua Blair (4 block asst.)

UP NEXT
The Red Flash and the Highlanders will conclude their weekend series on Friday night at 7 p.m. Broadcast can be found live on America East TV.

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.