WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
>> Saint Francis men's volleyball dropped the second match of the home-and-home series at No. 20 Penn State Saturday afternoon (21-25, 20-25, 18-25).
>> Andrew Deardorff recorded nine kills to lead the Red Flash. The senior outside hitter has led the team in kills in the last seven matches and has tallied 108 kills during the stretch. He added two digs, two assists, and one assisted block.
>> Ryan Keco got his first collegiate start at opposite and was second on the squad in kills with seven. The freshman opposite was the lone leader in digs with four as well.
TURNING POINTS OF THE MATCH
The Red Flash started out with a blazing 9-4 start in the first set. The Nittany Lions would respond with a 4-0 run and eventually caught back up to tie it up at 15. From there, the teams' exchanged points until the score was set at 22-21 in favor of Penn State. The home team completed their early set comeback with a 3-0 run to take a 1-0 lead.
Set two started out with the Nittany Lions getting out to a 12-5 advantage. Saint Francis clawed back into things with a 10-5 rally to cut their deficit to 17-15. The valiant effort was countered, however, as Penn State responded with a quick three points and used the momentum to win the second set, 25-20.
The third set started with four straight points from the Nittany Lions, but the Red Flash went on an 8-4 run to knot the score at eight apiece. The squads battled to a 13-11 score towards Penn State around the midway point. It was around then that the home team took over with a 7-3 run that put them up 20-14 and they used their hot streak to guide them to a 25-18 set three win.
FLASH NUGGETS
Sam Lane led the Red Flash with three total blocks, including one solo. The junior middle blocker has 20 blocks in the last seven matches.
Brayden Gall and Kyle Charles each pitched in two aces. It is a career high for both players.
Brady Stump was third on the squad with six kills and registered a solo block.
Hayden Spears saw his first collegiate action in the third set, posting a solo block and one kill.
NEXT UP FOR FLASH
Men's Volleyball will play Dominican University of New York in a season series at DeGol Arena Feb. 21-22.
