WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOWÂ
>>Saint Francis men's volleyball heads to Long Beach, CA for their second match in California in four days to take on No. 2 Long Beach State Saturday, January 13. First serve is at 10 p.m. EST/7 p.m. PST.
>>The action can be followed along with Live Stats.
>>Saturday's night match is the final match in a three-game road trip to start the season. It is also the third straight matchup against a top-10 opponent.
>>Head Coach Mike Rumbaugh is two wins away from reaching 300 career wins in his 26th season with the program.
THE WORD ON THE BEACHÂ
Long Beach State is coming off a 2023 season where they finished 21-5 with a record of 9-1 in the Big West conference. The Beach made it to the NCAA Final Four, their 13th NCAA semifinal appearance in program history. Their season ended in a straight set loss to eventual national champion, UCLA.
Long Beach State was picked to finish first in the Big West preseason poll. Libero Mason Briggs, middle blocker Simon Torwie, outside hitter Sotiris Siapanis, and opposite Clark Godbold were named Off The Block Preseason All-Americans. After taking two straight set wins in two exhibition matches against Alberta on December 30-31, 2023, the Beach will be playing their first regular season match against LIU on Friday.
LAST TIME WE MET THE BEACH
The two programs have faced off three times, with the last matchup being in 2017. In a duel hosted by Ohio State University, The Red Flash won the first set, but proceeded to drop the final three sets as Long Beach State took home the match win.
LAST TIME OUT
Saint Francis have played two matches so far against No. 5 Ohio State and No. 3 UC Irvine. The Red Flash have dropped both matches, one being in four sets to the Buckeyes and a straight set loss to the Anteaters.
Andrew Deardorff currently leads the Red Flash in kills with 25, with Nathan Zini right behind with 22. Ryan Parker runs the offense as the setter, tallying 63 assists. On the defensive side, Peyton Blain leads the squad with 20 digs, including a career-high 12Â against Ohio State.
Parker is 45 assists away from becoming the fourth player in Saint Francis men's volleyball history to record 1,500 career assists.
UP NEXT
Men's Volleyball returns to DeGol for two home matches in one day to kick off a four-game homestand. The Red Flash will face off against Dominican at 12 p.m. and Central State at 5 p.m. on Saturday, January 20. The two visiting teams are squaring off in between the two matches at 2:30 p.m.
