WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
>> Saint Francis men's volleyball will compete in their second straight Northeast Conference (NEC) Championship match versus Daemen Saturday, April 20 at 4:00 p.m.
>> Live stats and stream links can be found on the schedule.
THE WORD ON DAEMEN
No. 2 Daemen advanced to the championship game after sweeping #4 FDU on Thursday. The Wildcats finished the regular season with a 19-6 record and 9-3 in the NEC.
Four players from Daemen earned NEC major postseason honors. Outside hitter Zach Schneider and fellow hitter/opposite Cameron Milligan made First Team All-NEC. Freshman middle blocker Ondrej Arabasz was named NEC Rookie of Year and was selected to Second Team All-NEC after finishing third in the conference with 78 blocks. Libero Sean Califf earned Second Team All-NEC as well.
LAST TIME WE MET THE WILDCATS
During the regular season series, the Red Flash took two 3-1 wins over the Wildcats on Mar. 22-23. It knocked off Daemen's unbeaten record in NEC play, which was 6-0 before that weekend, and allowed Saint Francis to take sole possession of first place in the conference. The team leads the all-time series, 6-0.
LAST TIME OUT
Saint Francis advanced to the championship game after sweeping #6 Sacred Heart for the second consecutive time on Thursday. The Red Flash won all three matches against the Pioneers in 2024.
Ryan Parker's 32 assists helped engineer an offense that accumulated 39 kills and a .329 hitting percentage. Nathan Zini dominated with 16 kills, a hitting percentage of .406 and two service aces. Rounding out the offensive leaders was Michael Mosbacher contributing to a team-leading three service aces.
The defense held the Pioneers' offense to 26 kills and a .172 hitting percentage. Peyton Blain led the squad with seven digs. Nicholas Lynch recorded five blocks, including one solo.
UP NEXT
Saturday's championship match will conclude the 2024 season.
