WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
Saint Francis University men's volleyball took a 3-0 loss to the Tigers of Princeton University in the First Round of the EIVA Tournament on Wednesday to complete the 2022 season.
 
Nathan Zini (Pittsburgh, Pa./Seton-La Salle Catholic) led the Red Flash in kills and digs with 10 and nine, respectively.
 
Ryan Parker (East Northport, N.Y./Northport) posted 33 assists for the Saint Francis men's volleyball squad.
 
In his final collegiate game, Joshua Blair (Matterson, Ill./ Marian Catholic) had a hitting percentage of .583.
 
FLASH QUOTES

"The energy that you get from the playoffs is unlike any other. Every game we have in regular season matters, but it doesn't feel like this. We have a really young team and so some of the guys have never been through this before, but they fought hard. I'm not hanging my head on today. I think Princeton outplayed us, but they were just better for longer than us." – said Joshua Blair.
 
TURNING POINTS OF THE GAME
The Tigers started off the first set with a 3-1 run to take the early lead. A service ace from Zini gave the Red Flash its first lead of the match with a score of 12-11. The first set continued to be a back-and-forth battle between both teams until the Tigers were able to come up with a 4-1 run to take the first set at a score of 25-21. This was the spark Princeton needed to be able to go on and claim the next two sets for the 3-0 victory.
 
FLASH MOMENTS 

The second set started off like the first with the Tigers going on an early 4-1 run. A 6-1 run from the Red Flash that featured kills from Andrew Deardorff (Itasca, Ill./Lake Park) and Zini gave Saint Francis its first lead of the second set with a score of 9-8. With the second set tied 17-17, the Tigers were able to go on a 5-1 run to take the lead to go on and claim the second set, 25-21 to make Princeton up 2-0 in the match.
 
The third set was a battle between both men's volleyball programs with several lead changes throughout. With the Red Flash down in the third set 21-17, the squad was able to go on a 4-0 run to tie the set at 21-21. However, with the set tied 23-23, the Tigers were able to come up with a 2-0 run to secure the 3-0 victory.
 
FLASH NUGGETS
The 2022 EIVA Tournament appearance marks the 16th and final appearance for the Red Flash as the squad will move to the Northeast Conference for the 2023 season.
 
UP NEXT
Red Flash men's volleyball will return to action next season as the squad looks to compete in the Northeast Conference.