WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
>> Saint Francis men's volleyball will return to DeGol Arena to take on LIU April 18-19. The first match on the 18th will start at 6:00 p.m., and the contest on the 19th will begin at 4.
>> The two matches this upcoming weekend will decide who will be the Northeast Conference (NEC) Regular Season champion.
>> At the conclusion of the second contest on the 12th,
Andrew Deardorff,
Richard Kaminski,
Michael Mosbacher and
Nathan Hayes will be honored as a part of senior day festivities.
>>
Live Stats;
Live Stream;
Game Notes
NEC TOURNAMENT IMPLICATIONS
In a 5-team field for the 2025 campaign, Saint Francis, LIU, Daemen and FDU all clinched a spot into the NEC Tournament coming up on April 25-26. This year marks the first time that the conference tournament winner can automatically qualify for the NCAA Tournament held in Columbus, Ohio May 8-12.
With the Red Flash and Sharks holding 5-1 NEC records, this weekend will determine who will host the tournament as the regular season champion. In order for Saint Francis to three-peat for this honor, they'd either have to win both matches or beat LIU in the head-to-head set winning percentage if the two teams split the series. In the event that the teams are tied in percentage, the Red Flash can claim the top spot if D'Youville sweeps Daemen in their series.
THE WORD ON LIU
LIU is 17-6 on the season and 5-1 in the NEC. Their lone conference loss came in a 3-2 setback against FDU on March 22.
The Sharks are led by a three-headed offensive attack of Kale Spencer (204 kills), Chase Celichowski (199), and Christopher Knowles (145). Celichowski leads the pack with 27 service aces. The offense is led by setter Roei Horovitz, who has dished out 482 assists.
On defense, middle blocker Issac Benka has tallied 79 blocks (70 assisted, 9 solo). He has contributed 100 kills as well.
Libero Alex Weinhaus (107 digs) and Celichowski (106) have collected the most digs on the team.
LAST TIME WE MET THE SHARKS
The two upcoming matches will be the eighth and ninth matchups between the two squads since the 2022 season. Saint Francis leads the all-time series, 5-2. During the 2024 season, the Red Flash defeated the Sharks in two 3-2 victories on February 16-17, 2024.
LAST TIME OUT
Saint Francis split their season series with Daemen last weekend. They bounced back from their four set loss on the 11th with a sweep on the 12th.
Kyle Charles claimed First Point/NEC Rookie of the Week for the 10th time as well as his eighth prime performer. Deardorff and Brady Stump joined Charles on the prime performer list for the 11th and fourth time, respectively.
Charles dished out 69 assists (9.86 per set) and also recorded eight digs, four blocks, two service aces, and one kill in the series.
Deardorff racked up 29 kills (4.14 per set), 15 digs, and one service ace combined between the two matches. The senior posted a 19 kill, 10 dig double double on the 11th and followed that performance up with 10 kills, five digs, and the match-ending service ace on the 12th. He is now 24 kills away from 1,000 for his career.
Stump recorded 22 kills, eight digs, and seven blocks in the series. The junior tallied 13 kills, five digs, and a block in the first contest, and then collected nine more slams, a career-high six blocks, and three digs in the 3-0 win over the Wildcats.
NEXT UP FOR FLASH
Men's volleyball will compete in the NEC Tournament April 25-26.
