WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
>>Saint Francis men's volleyball overcame a 2-0 deficit in Friday night's match, but lost the fifth set to drop their first match of the weekend to NJIT.
>>Nathan Zini led the way offensively with a season-high 13 kills and five service aces.
>>Ryan Parker stuffed the stat sheet on both offense and defense, racking up 38 assists, 10 digs, five kills, and two service aces.
TURNING POINT OF THE MATCH
The Red Flash dropped the first two sets of the match, but rebounded to tie it up at two apiece heading into set five. The final set was a tightly-contested battle between the two teams, with NJIT holding just a slim 11-10 lead midway through. The Highlanders would take over from there, going on a 4-1 run to win the match.
FLASH MOMENTS
Set one began with NJIT getting out to a 10-6 lead, but the Red Flash rallied to make the score tied at 15 halfway through the set. The two teams would then engage in a tightly-contested battle, with two Andrew Deardorff kills giving Saint Francis a 24-22 lead going into set point. NJIT responded with a 4-0 run to take set one, 26-24.
Set two saw NJIT get out to a 16-11 lead. The Red Flash would go on a 3-0 run to cut the lead to 16-14, but that'd be the closest they got for the rest of the set. The Highlanders went on a 9-3 run to win the set, 25-17.
It was a neck-and-neck battle in set three, with the teams tied at 16 apiece. It remained that way all the way through the end of the set, with Highlanders holding a 25-24 lead and going for match point. Saint Francis responded with a 3-0 run, including a Zini kill and service ace, to help the team take set three, 26-24.
Set four saw the score tied at eight apiece starting out. It stayed that way midway through, with the Red Flash having a 17-15 lead. The team proceeded to erupt with a 6-0 run and never relinquished the lead to win the set, 25-18.
FLASH NUGGETS
Nicholas Lynch had eight kills on 10 attacks, good for a .800 hitting percentage. Brady Stump racked up eight kills as well to go along with three service aces.
Peyton Blain tallied nine digs in the match, increasing his season total to 59.
UP NEXT
Men's Volleyball will play their second match of the weekend on Sunday, January 28 at 1:00 p.m. against Queens University of Charlotte.
