» Saint Francis University men's volleyball claimed its first victory of the season with a straight set victory over Long Island University on Saturday.
» With the win on Saturday, the Red Flash advance to 1-3 overall this season.
» Thomas Leahey (State College, Pa./State College Area) led the squad with 11 kills on the day.
» Leahey and Ryan Parker (East Northport, N.Y./Northport) each led the team in service aces for one a piece.
The Red Flash were fueled by a service ace from
Nathan Zini (Pittsburgh, Pa./Seton-La Salle Catholic) to get the Red Flash on the board for a 3-0 run. However, the Sharks were able to bounce back to eventually tie the set at 8-8. Although the set tied several times, Saint Francis never allowed Long Island to take the lead in this set.
With the first set tied, 12-12 the Red Flash were able to increase the score to 15-12 with a 3-0 run that included a kill from
Blake Liprando (Mechanicsburg, Pa./Cumberland Valley). The deciding factor of this set was a 6-0 run that featured a kill from Leahey and a service ace from Parker.
A block from
Brandon Dunz (Lake View, N.Y./Frontier) sealed the first set for the Red Flash, 25-19 for the squad to win its first set of the season. This sparked the Red Flash to be able to go on and claim the next two sets to secure its first home victory since an exhibition match against Juniata earlier this season.
FLASH MOMENTS
A kill from Dunz put the Red Flash on top in the second set and the squad maintained its lead until the Sharks took its first lead of the game in this set to make the score 12-9 after a 3-0 run. However, the Red Flash bounced back to tie the set 16-16. A service ace from Leahey allowed Saint Francis to take the lead again to make the score 17-16, but the two teams continued to fight for the set. A kill from Zini secured the second set, 25-21 for the Red Flash to make the squad one set away from its first victory of the season.
It was a kill from Parker that put the Red Flash on the board first in the third set. However, the Sharks came in the set to take a two-point lead over Saint Francis and Long Island maintained its lead early on in the third set.
With the final set tied 12-12, a block from Leahey gave the Red Flash its lead back since the team first had the lead at the start of the set. A 3-0 run that featured kills from Leahey, Lewis and Parker gave Red Flash men's volleyball its stride to maintain its lead for the remainder of the set to claim the third and final set, 25-22.
FLASH NUGGETS
The matchup between the Red Flash and the Sharks marks the first time the two programs have met since this is the first year ever of Long Island University men's volleyball.
Therefore, after Saturday's contest the Red Flash lead the Sharks overall 1-0.
UP NEXT
Men's volleyball will next hit the road to Fort Wayne, Ind., for back-to-back matches against Purdue Fort Wayne on Friday, Jan. 28 at 7:00 p.m. and Saturday, Jan. 29 at 3:00 p.m.
