Men's Volleyball | 11/12/2025 12:17:00 PM
2026 Schedule
Loretto, Pa. – Saint Francis men's volleyball head coach Mike Rumbaugh announced the 2026 schedule. It is a 28-match slate that will feature 15 away matches and 13 at home. The Red Flash will play eight out of nine games in a row on their home court.
"During my time here at Saint Francis, I have always tried to play a very competitive schedule. I am willing to play anyone anywhere. I was hoping to be the first Men's Volleyball Coach in the country to play in every DI gym across the country" said Rumbaugh as he added four new opponents to his schedule. "I am also excited about making history when we go to Northern Kentucky as their first ever Men's Volleyball opponent. Plus, it is another Division I gym to add to my list."
The season will start with a two-game road trip to BYU, with both being played at Smith Fieldhouse on Jan. 8 at 7:00 p.m. MST/9:00 p.m. EST. The Cougars went 19-10 and 7-5 in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) in 2025. They were defeated in five sets to No. 6 Stanford in the MPSF Quarterfinals. Currently, the Red Flash are 0-2 against BYU, losing 3-1 in 2010 and 3-0 in 2019.
The following match will be against Northern Kentucky University on Jan. 16 at 7:00 p.m. and Jan. 17 at 4:00 p.m. This is the first year that the men's program will be competing. The Norse will be in the MIVA.
The Red Flash will kick off its first home stretch at DeGol Arena versus Queens University of Charlotte on Jan. 24 starting at 7:00 p.m. The Red Flash have a 6-2 lead in the series with the Royals including a 3-0 sweep in 2024. Queens lost in the MIVA Tournament to the No. 1 seed Loyola University Chicago.
On Jan. 25 Saint Francis will host NJIT at 4 p.m. for a single game. This will be the 61st matchup between these teams and the sixth straight year play each other. Over the last six years, NJIT has the lead in the series 8-2. Last year, the Highlanders finished the season with an overall 14-13 record, with an 8-4 finish in conference play. They made it to the EIVA Semifinals and lost 0-3 to #3 Penn State.
After a two-day break, the Red Flash are back in action with their home stretch on Jan. 28 against Hawaii. This will be the fourth matchup against the Rainbow Warriors dating back to 2019 and the most recent was 2023. In 2025, Hawaii produced a 27-6 season claiming its fourth Big West Championship title with a 3-1 win over Long Beach State. Hawaii then made its 10th NCAA Championship appearance beating Penn State 3-1 in the quarterfinals but falling to UCLA in the semifinals.
"My most exciting match on the schedule is Hawaii coming to Loretto to battle in the DeGol Arena. I am expecting a sell out, so to speak, since Hawaii should be ranked in the top 3 all year long, if not number 1. Hawaii fans always travel well, and I am expecting the local clubs to send a lot of teams to watch" said Rumbaugh.
The last single home game during the stretch is against Roberts Wesleyan on Jan. 31 at 12:00 p.m./3:00 p.m. The Red Hawks finished up the 2025 season with a 12-21 record. Last year was the first year that these two teams competed. Saint Francis took the 3-0 win at its home arena. Roberts Wesleyan made it to the ECC tournament taking a 3-0 win against Dominican University but losing to St. Thomas Aquinas College in the Championship.
Saint Francis will continue to face old EIVA foes when they take on Penn State on Feb. 6-7. The first match on February 6 will be at the Nittany Lions' Rec Hall at 6:00 p.m. with the second happening the following day back home in DeGol at 6:00 p.m. It will be the 61st and 62nd matches between the two schools dating back to 1985. Penn State went 15-16, including 8-4 in EIVA action, in the 2025 season. During the EIVA tournament, Penn State swept Harvard, NJIT, and Princeton 3-0 to claim its third straight title. Its campaign ended in the NC quarterfinals to Hawaii.
Right before the Red Flash start conference play on the road, they face Catawba on Feb. 20 at 7:00 p.m. and Feb. 21 at 6:00 p.m. This will be another first for Saint Francis as this is the first time in program history it will face the Indians. Catawba went 13-12 last year, including a 3-1 loss to Hawaii but made it to the IVA Championships. The Indians lost to the fifth seed 3-1 to conclude their season.
A conference game will be snuck in early at LIU on Feb. 27-28 both being played at 7:00 p.m. The Red Flash have beaten the Sharks the last four times and are up in the series 7-2.
The following week in March, Saint Francis will face another MPSF opponent on the road. The matchup will be held in California against Stanford at 10:00 pm EST on Mar. 6 and 9:00 p.m. EST on Mar. 7. In 2025, the Cardinals finished their season with an overall record of 13-15. During the regular season, Stanford fell twice to BYU but beat them in five in the quarterfinals of the MPSF tournament. Likewise, Stanford beat USC twice in the regular season but fell to them during the semifinals 3-1.
After the California trip, Saint Francis will play UMES, who is a first-year program and continue conference play against the defending NEC Champion Daemen University on Mar. 20-21. The Red Flash are up in the series matchup with a 7-3 lead. Last year, the Wildcats finished 4-4 in conference play but managed to beat LIU 3-2 and Saint Francis in the NEC Championship 3-1. Daemen's season ended with a loss to Penn State in the opening round of the NCAA Championship.
Saint Francis will take a quick break to face a long-time non-conference opponent, George Mason University (GMU). The last trip down to Virginia in 2025 was a fast 3-0 sweep for the Red Flash. GMU went 16-13 with a 6-6 record in conference play last year. They swept the University of Charleston in the quarterfinals but lost to Princeton in the semifinals of the EIVA tournament.
The Red Flash will end the 2025 campaign with another first-year program, Manhattan, and then two straight weekends of conference play. It will start out with a season series at D'Youville on April 10-11. Saint Francis holds a 13-2 all-time record over the Saints, including a series sweep in 2025. D'Youville went 7-16 and 1-7 versus the NEC last season.
The final regular season series will be home versus FDU on April 17-18. The times will be 6:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. The Red Flash secured two 3-0 sweeps at the Knights home arena during 2025 and are leading the all-time series 7-0. FDU completed the 2025 campaign with a 10-14 record and a 3-5 conference mark. They were beaten in the NEC Tournament quarterfinals by Saint Francis, 3-1.
The NEC Tournament will be held at the top seed's venue on April 23 and 25.
Saint Francis is coming off a 2025 campaign where they went 14-14, including a 7-1 record in the NEC. They have gone 51-35 over the last three seasons and have been to three straight NEC Championship matches.
Rumbaugh said, "The NEC should be a tight battle this year and we will need fan support to help us to the top".
