LORETTO, Pa. – The Saint Francis men's volleyball team is set to host Charleston for the first round of the EIVA Postseason on Saturday as the Red Flash compete in postseason play for the first time in two years.
The Red Flash hosts the Golden Eagles in the program's first home postseason match since 2009. Attendance is limited to the two teams' guest lists and holders of an active Saint Francis University ID.
The Matchup: No. 4 Saint Francis (7-18, 6-12) vs. No 5 Charleston (4-12, 4-12)
Location: DeGol Arena (Loretto, Pa.)
Date: Saturday, April 17 – 5:00 p.m.
Watch: NEC Front Row
Live Stats: Sidearm Stats
SCOUTING THE GOLDEN EAGLES
Charleston comes into the weekend with a 4-12 record and is currently on an eight-match losing streak after starting the year 4-4. Two losses to Penn State last weekend, along with two Red Flash victories, pushed SFU above Charleston in the standings, clinching a playoff match in Loretto.
The Golden Eagles offense is led by Maarten Bartels, who leads the team with 144 kills, followed by Ismael Sneed with 91, and two other players with 60+. The leading passer for Charleston is Diego Villafane, who has registered 446 of 519 total team assists.
Defensively, Sneed leads the team with 28 total blocks, and Villafane and Ian Barker have picked up 23 and 22 total blocks, respectively. The Golden Eagles also have three players with at least 70 digs.
SERIES HISTORY
Saint Francis leads, 10-4, in the series that dates back to 2015. Currently, the Red Flash has won two straight against Charleston, and five of the last seven.
LAST TIME OUT
The Red Flash closed out its regular season on a two-match win streak, downing Sacred Heart in both matches in Fairfield. On Friday, SFU won 3-1, then picked up a sweep on Saturday behind a Joshua Blair Offensive Player of the Week performance.
REGULAR SEASON MEETINGS
Saint Francis and Charleston are 2-2 against each other this season. Their first two meetings in Loretto saw Charleston take down the Red Flash, 3-2 and 3-0. A month later in West Virginia, SFU defeated the Golden Eagles, 3-2 and 3-0. Each team has taken eight sets total this season.
Saint Francis will take on the Golden Eagles for the fifth time this season, tying the second-most matches in a single season against the same opponent in school history (NJIT, 1990; Juniata, 1996).
NATIONAL RANKINGS
As a team, Saint Francis ranks in the top-10 in the NCAA in two categories and the top-20 in two other categories. The Red Flash ranks seventh with 1.5 aces per set, ninth in opponent hitting percentage at .221, 16th in attacks per set with 27.88, and 18th in digs per set with 9.02.
Individually, Joshua Blair ranks eighth in the country with a .433 hitting percentage, just .064 behind the national leader.
In active career leaders, Michael Fisher ranks fifth in the country with 1,198 kills and first with 3.9 kills per set.
EIVA RANKINGS
Individually, Michael Fisher ended the regular season first in the conference with 230 total kills, and second with 3.83 kills per set. Joshua Blair leads the conference with a .433 hitting percentage, a whopping .100 above second place. Roman Szwabinsky also finished the season in fifth with 8.16 assists per set.
Defensively, Blair also led the conference in total blocks, with a line of 9-58-67. Thomas Leahey ranks second in the EIVA with 0.89 blocks per set, and Matthew Menosky also ranks second with 152 digs, while AJ Schmidt ranks fifth with 116 digs.
As a team, the Red Flash finished the season second in the conference with 8.93 digs per set. Saint Francis also ranks third with 1.48 aces per set, and third with 1.88 blocks per set.
RED FLASH INDIVIDUAL LEADERS
KILLS – Michael Fisher (3.83/set)
ASST – Roman Szwabinsky (8.16/set)
DIGS – Matthew Menosky (1.69/set)
BLOCKS – Thomas Leahey (0.89/set)
SERVICE ACES – Michael Fisher (0.33/set)
UP NEXT
The EIVA Conference Tournament is a win-or-go-home bracket. If the Red Flash wins, it will travel to University Park on Thursday to take on the No. 1 seed Penn State Nittany Lions.
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.
