FAIRFIELD, Conn. – The Saint Francis men's volleyball team swept Sacred Heart on Saturday afternoon to close out the regular season, securing a home playoff match next weekend at DeGol Arena.

Behind a season-best .358 hitting percentage, the Red Flash won each set by more than the last, ending the season on a two-match winning streak.

Saint Francis 3, Sacred Heart 0 (25-22, 25-18, 25-16)
Records: Saint Francis (7-18, 6-12) , Sacred Heart (1-19, 0-16)
Location: William H. Pitt Center (Fairfield, Conn.)

COACH RUMBAUGH'S COMMENTS
"Our guys knew that a home playoff game was on the line and they played with a purpose. We played hard as a team and every substitution elevated elevated our level of play."

HOW IT HAPPENED

SET ONE

• Blake Liprando built off last night's performance, using kills to help the Red Flash jump out to a 5-3 lead.
• Sacred Heart kept it close, and the teams stayed within one until the Pioneers took a 13-10 lead.
• Kills from Jason Najm and Liprando brought SFU back into the set, reaching another tie at 15.
• Going back-and-forth, the teams were knotted at 20, but a Joshua Blair kill gave SFU a 22-20 lead, and the Red Flash held on for a 25-22 set one win.

SET TWO

• Alex Finch kills helped SFU take a 6-2 lead.
• SFU extended it to six at 13-7 after a Thomas Leahey kill, and continued to pile on, forcing a Sacred Heart timeout at 18-10.
• The Pioneers cut it to four at 19-15, but the Red Flash pulled away again for a 25-18 set win.

SET THREE

• The teams traded points to start set three, with no lead greater than two until a Joshua Blair kill gave the Red Flash an 11-8 advantage.
• SFU continued its run, scoring nine of ten points to take an 18-9 lead.
• The Red Flash then pulled away from the Pioneers, stopping any chance of a run to take the set, 25-16, completing the sweep.

STATS

• Saint Francis led in kills (42-24), assists (41-23), aces (9-3), digs (28-17), blocks (7.0-4.0), and hitting percentage (.358-.227)

RED FLASH INDIVIDUAL LEADERS
KILLS – Joshua Blair (10; match-high)
ASST – AJ Schmidt (23; match-high)
DIGS – Matthew Menosky (8; match-high)
BLOCKS –Alex Finch, Joshua Blair (3 asst.; match-high)
SERVICE ACES – Brandon Dunz, Blake Liprando, Zac Cabral (2; match-high)

UP NEXT
Saint Francis will now participate in the EIVA Conference Tournament. The Red Flash will host Charleston in Loretto on Friday, April 16 at 7 p.m. 

Follow Saint Francis Men's Volleyball on Facebook, 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.