WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
>> Saint Francis men's volleyball extended their winning streak to six matches and improved their NEC record to 4-0 by completing their series sweep over FDU in straight sets Saturday afternoon (25-14, 25-21, 25-22).
>> Brady Stump led the Red Flash with 15 kills on a .379 hitting percentage. The junior tied Cole Dorn for the most digs with five, and added on two blocks and a service ace.
>> Andrew Deardorff was second on the team with 12 kills on a .429 hitting percentage. The senior notched an additional four digs, two aces, one assist, and one block.
>> The Saint Francis defense was stifling in today's contest, holding FDU to 22 kills and a -.025 hitting percentage. Both of those totals are the second-lowest by the Knights this season, and the hitting percentage allowed by the Red Flash is the lowest held by them during the 2025 campaign. FDU finished the match with 24 attack errors.
TURNING POINTS OF THE MATCH
The first set was fully controlled by the Red Flash. The team raced out to a 12-3 lead and would never look back. They extended their advantage as high as 24-11 on their way to a 25-14 set one victory.
Set two began with another fast start from Saint Francis, jumping out to a quick 12-6 advantage. The Knights responded with a 9-2 run to take their first lead of the contest since being up 1-0 in the first set at 15-14. The teams exchanged runs afterwards. The Red Flash countered with a 5-1 run to go up 19-16, but FDU had an answer with a 4-2 run to cut their deficit to 21-20. The rallies by the home team were thwarted, however, when Saint Francis scored four of the final five points to take control of set two. Deardorff finished off the second game with an ace to make the final score 25-21.
The scripts from sets one and two repeated itself in the final set, as the Red Flash got out to a 7-3 lead. The Knights responded with a 6-2 run to knot the score at nine apiece. From there, neither team would gain an advantage higher than two until the score was 20-18 in favor of FDU. In danger of dropping a set, Saint Francis countered with the final rally of the match by going on a 7-2 run to win the match. Deardorff slammed down the final kill of the contest to make the set three final score, 25-22.
FLASH MOMENTS
The tenacious defense of the Red Flash set the tone for the first set. The team held the Knights to three kills, 12 attack errors, and a -.500 hitting percentage. Seven of Saint Francis's blocks came during the first game, with three in a row happening with the score at 6-2 that pushed their lead to 9-2. Nicholas Lynch led the way with five rejections.
It was a balanced attack that helped the Red Flash win set two. The defense held FDU to nine kills on a .074 hitting percentage while the offense provided 12 kills and two aces. Five players tallied a kill during the second game, with Stump leading the pack with four. With the score at 22-20 Saint Francis, Sam Lane racked up two slams to guide the team to set point.
Deardorff and Stump combined for 13 of the 15 kills posted in the third game. With FDU leading 21-20 heading into the final serves, the duo each pitched in two slams to earn the Red Flash four of their final points.
FLASH NUGGETS
Saint Francis are at the top of the conference after the first two weekends of NEC matches. The team extends their regular season winning streak against conference foes to 16 dating back to the 12-straight victories earned during the 2024 campaign. LIU is currently in second place with a 3-1 record. The two teams will face in the final weekend of the regular season April 18-19.
During the Red Flash's six-game winning streak, they have won 18 of the last 20 sets. Only Erskine on March 5 and FDU on Friday night were able to take a game off Saint Francis.
Stump improves his kill total to 123 in the last nine matches. He has achieved double-digit slams in eight of the nine contests as well.
Deardorff is now 53 kills away from 1,000 career slams after posting his 15th match with 10 or more kills. He is up to 309 on the season. After racking up two more service aces, the 47 he has now collected nearly doubles his total from the 2024 campaign (24).
Lynch and Dorn combined for 11 blocks during the match. Lynch compiled six while Dorn registered five (four assisted, one solo). Lane was third on the squad with four blocks.
NEXT UP FOR FLASH
Men's Volleyball will have a week off before returning to action in Amherst, N.Y. to face Daemen in a season series April 11-12.
