WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOWÂ
>>Saint Francis University men's volleyball are set for two more NEC duels this weekend at Sacred Heart Feb. 23-24. Both matches will be at 7 p.m.
>>2/23 NEC Front Row | 2/24 NEC Front Row | Live Stats
>>The Red Flash are currently on a four-game winning streak and have won seven of their last nine matches.
THE WORD ON SACRED HEARTÂ
Sacred Heart is currently 6-7 on the season and 1-1 in the NEC, putting them at third in the conference. Last weekend saw the Pioneers lose in four sets to Daeman, but pick up a four set win against D'Youville.
Patrick Mucherino leads Sacred Heart with an NEC-leading 172Â kills. The setter setting up Mucherino and the Pioneer offense is Teddy Payne, who has accumulated 344Â assists.
Mucherino also leads Sacred Heart's defense in digs with 59. In the middle is Dylan McClung, who leads the team in blocks with 37.
LAST TIME WE MET THE PIONEERS
In three matches between the two squads in the 2023 season, Saint Francis swept Sacred Heart all three times. The last match the Red Flash won against the Pioneers came in the NEC Championship semifinals on April 20, where Andrew Deardorff posted 11 kills and Ryan Parker dished out 34 assists to lead an offense that had a hitting percentage of .462.
As former foes in the Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association, it will be the 37th matchup all-time between the two programs. Saint Francis leads the all-time series, 31-5.
LAST TIME OUT
Saint Francis is currently 7-5 and 2-0 in the NEC after two hard fought 3-2 wins over LIU last weekend. In their second match on Feb. 17, the Red Flash came back from a 2-1 deficit to take the final two sets by scores of 25-16 and 15-7. The entirety of the match saw the team tally 62 digs, the most by the program since March 1, 2013 when it recorded 63 against NJIT.
Three players earned NEC weekly awards for their performances against the Sharks. Ryan Parker was named First Point NEC Defensive Player of the Week and received Prime Performer alongside Stump and Peyton Blain.Â
Parker and Blain increased their NEC-leading totals in the two wins, with the setter adding 93 assists to bring his season total to 423. Blain had 27 digs in the two contests, including a game-high 15 in the second outing. He's still leading Division-I men's volleyball with 130 digs.
UP NEXT
Men's Volleyball will continue their 10-game stretch of road matches at George Mason Saturday, March 2 at 5 p.m.
