WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
>> Saint Francis University men's volleyball took a five-set loss to former EIVA foe, Penn State on Saturday.
 
>> The Red Flash earned the first two sets, but the Nittany Lions came back to claim a reverse sweep over the Red Flash.
 
>> Blake Liprando (Mechanicsburg, Pa./Cumberland Valley) and Andrew Deardorff (Itasca, Ill./Lake Park) led the Red Flash on the outside with 21 kills for the duo collectively.
 
>> Brandon Dunz (Lake View, N.Y./Frontier) led the team with two service aces and added 7.0 blocks for Saint Francis.
 
>> Ryan Parker (East Northport, N.Y./Northport) continued to lead the team as a setter with 38 assists. Parker and Deardorff posted eight digs a piece for the Red Flash on Saturday.
 
TURNING POINT OF THE GAME
With the game tied at two, a fifth set was required to determine the winner of Saturday's back-and-forth battle. Penn State got on the board first in the final set and never looked back. The Nittany Lions claimed the fifth set, 15-10 for the win over the Red Flash.
 
FLASH MOMENTS
The first set was a back-and-forth battle between both teams featuring 18 tied scores throughout. With set one tied at 20, the Red Flash notched a 3-0 run to take the lead and hold it for the remainder of the first set. An attacker error from the Nittany Lions gave the Red Flash the first set, 25-22.
 
The second set was more of the same with both teams going back-and-forth. However, with the Red Flash down 19-17, the team put up a 5-0 run to take the lead and maintain it for the rest of set two. A service error from Penn State gave the Red Flash set two, 25-23.
 
The Nittany Lions found its stride in the third set to start of the set off with a 5-0 run to never allow the Red Flash to lead in the third set. Penn State earned set three, 25-22.
 
The fourth set was no different than the rest with both teams competing for the lead. However, the Nittany Lions were able to come out on top in the fourth set thanks to a set point kill from Toby Ezeonu. Penn State claimed the fourth set, 25-23.
 
FLASH NUGGETS
The last time the Red Flash claimed sets over the Nittany Lions was in 2021 in University Park, Pa. In that game, the Red Flash won the first and third sets, but Penn State was able to come away with the second, fourth and fifth sets.
 
Dunz matched his career game high in kills on Saturday night with eight.
 
UP NEXT
The Red Flash will next hit the road to Brooklyn, N.Y. to continue NEC action against LIU on Saturday, Feb. 18 at 7:00 p.m.