WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOWÂ
>>Saint Francis men's volleyball lost to No. 2 Long Beach State Saturday night, 3-1.
>>Andrew Deardorff (Itasca, Ill./Lake Park) led the Red Flash offensively with 12 kills.
>>Libero Peyton Blain (Harrisburg, PA/Central Dauphin) tallied double-digit digs for the second time this season with 10.
>>It was the third straight road match to start the 2024 season, with all three being against top-five opponents ranked in the top-five.
TURNING POINTSÂ OF THE GAMEÂ
The first three sets were a close battle between both teams. After Saint Francis took set three to make it 2-1 in favor of Long Beach State, the Beach got out to a quick 4-0 lead in the fourth set and never looked back. They rode the momentum to take set four, 25-16, and win the match.
FLASH QUOTES
Head Coach Mike Rumbaugh: "We got better and better this trip, which is what these trips are for. Long Beach State is the No.2 team in the country and I thought we competed well."
FLASH MOMENTS
Set one was close throughout, as neither team had a lead bigger than three. The Red Flash took a 16-13 lead midway through the match thanks to a 5-1 run, but Long Beach State weathered the storm to make it tied at 20. The final serves of the set belonged to the Beach, as they went on a 5-1 run to take set one, 25-21.
Like set one, the second set started out just as close, as both teams could not extend a lead further than one midway through the set. However, with the score tied at 16 apiece, the Beach went on a 4-0 run and never looked back. Long Beach State ended up winning the set, 25-20.
Set three started out as close as 10-9 in favor of Saint Francis. This set, it was Saint Francis that would pull away thanks to 13 kills combined as a team and holding the Beach to a .160 hitting percentage. The Red Flash had a 15-11 lead midway through the set and never looked back, getting the lead as high as 20-14 on their way to a 25-21 set win.
FLASH NUGGETS
Nicholas Lynch (Rochester, N.Y./McQuaid Jesuit) made his first start of the season at middle blocker.
Defensively, the Red Flash recorded a season-high 33 digs as a team. Nathan Zini (Pittsburgh, Pa./Seton-La Salle Catholic) and Brady Stump (York, Pa./York Suburban) each registered eight digs apiece.
On the offensive side, along with their nine digs, Zini and Stump each had eight kills.
Senior setter Ryan Parker (Long Island, N.Y./Northport) recorded 29 assists in tonight's match. He now sits at 1,484 career assists and is 16 away from becoming the fourth player in program history to accumulate 1,500 career assists.
UP NEXT
Saturday night's match concludes a three-game road trip against three top-five teams to start the season. Men's Volleyball returns to DeGol Arena for matches against Dominican and Central State Saturday, January 20 at 12 and 5 p.m.
