NEWARK, N.J. – The Saint Francis men's volleyball team dropped the second of two this weekend at No. 14 NJIT, 3-0.

The Red Flash took its first lead of the match at 9-6 in set three with help from freshman Trevor Lewis, who contributed five kills, but NJIT was able to climb back in and take a late lead for the sweep.

Saint Francis 0, No. 14 NJIT 3 (15-25, 15-25, 20-25)
Records: Saint Francis (1-14, 0-8), NJIT (7-3, 7-1)
Location: NJIT Wellness and Events Center (Newark, N.J.)

COACH RUMBAUGH'S COMMENTS
"NJIT was really good this weekend, it was hard to gain any momentum. I liked how Dan Fry and Trevor Lewis provided a spark off the bench. On to next weekend."

HOW IT HAPPENED

SET ONE

• NJIT jumped out to a 7-4 lead, but a block from Braden Richard and Thomas Leahey helped the Red Flash cut the lead to one.
• At 8-7 Highlanders, the opponents scored the next nine points to take a 17-7 lead.
• The deficit stayed the same for the rest of the set, with NJIT taking it, 25-15.

SET TWO

• The Red Flash found itself down 6-0, and eventually 12-2.
• Errors by the Highlanders helped the Red Flash cut into the lead, but SFU could not piece together a sufficient run, trailing by 6-8 throughout.
• With the score 17-9, the Highlanders outscored the Red Flash by two to take the set, 25-15.

SET THREE

• The Red Flash showed its fight early in set three, trading points with NJIT and taking its biggest lead of the night at 9-6 with help from Michael Fisher and Daniel Fry kills.
• NJIT was able to climb back in, leading to an exchange of points with the teams within two.
• With the Red Flash up 14-12, NJIT scored the next three to take the lead, but SFU answered with two of its own to retake the lead.
• The Highlanders followed with another run, scoring six out of seven to take a five-point lead.
• Out of a Red Flash timeout, a kill from AJ Schmidt helped SFU cut the lead to 22-19, NJIT held on to win, 25-20, and complete the sweep.

STATS

• NJIT held the advantage in kills (38-24), assists (34-19), aces (9-3), blocks (6-5), digs (35-26), and hitting percentage (.321-.088).
• SFU had four more attack errors than NJIT (16-12), and one more service error (10-9).

RED FLASH STATISTICAL LEADERS
KILLS – Michael Fisher (6)
ASST – Roman Szwabinsky (18)
DIGS – Roman Szwabinsky (5)
ACES – Michael Fisher (2)
BLOCKS – Joshua Blair (1 solo, 2 asst.)

UP NEXT
The Red Flash will return home next weekend for a series against Sacred Heart. Matches are set for Friday, March 5 at 7:00 p.m. and Saturday, March 6 at 4:00 p.m. and will be live 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.