WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
>> Saint Francis men's volleyball is set to face fourth-seeded FDU in the Northeast Conference (NEC) Championship semifinals on Friday, April 25 at 7:00 p.m.
>> The Red Flash will be hosting the NEC Tournament as the regular season champions for the third-straight season.
>> With a win over the Knights, Saint Francis will play #2-seeded LIU or #3-seeded Daemen in the championship match on April 26 at 5:00 p.m.
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NCAA TOURNAMENT IMPLICATIONS
This year marks the first time that the NEC Championship winner gets an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. With two wins, the Red Flash can clinch their spot for the first time in their 41-year history dating back to 1984.
THE WORD ON FDU
FDU ended the regular season with a 10-13 overall and 3-5 against the NEC. Their three wins came in a series sweep over D'Youville April 11-12 and in a 3-2 decision versus LIU on March 22.
Dylan McFadden and Jamal Ellis Carballo were each named to the All-NEC Second Team on Wednesday. McFadden leads the team in kills with 212 and Ellis Carballo is second with 177.
Jose Angarita is the commander of the offense, as he has racked up 600 assists. From the service line, Artem Vetrov has accumulated 20 service aces.
Middle blocker Panagiotis Kourmouzos roams the middle for the Knights' defense, as he has totaled 48 blocks (43 assisted, 5 solo). Libero Grady Hoffman flanks Kourmouzos by leading the Knights in digs with 162.
LAST TIME WE MET THE KNIGHTS
It will be the seventh time that the two teams will play each other since 2023. In their series on March 28-29 in Hackensack, N.J., the Red Flash took both matches. They began the weekend with a four set win on the 28th and followed it up with a sweep the next day.
Andrew Deardorff (20) and
Brady Stump (18) combined for 38 kills in the 3-1 win in the first meet up of the season. Deardorff also tallied six digs and five aces.
The defensive effort of Saint Francis played a big part in the straight set win over FDU on the 29th, as they held the Knights' offense to just 22 kills and a -.025 hitting percentage. The defense forced 24 attack errors.
The Red Flash are a perfect 6-0 in the all-time series over FDU. In the six previous matchups, Saint Francis has only dropped one set to their foe.
LAST TIME OUT
Saint Francis concluded the regular season by sweeping the season series over LIU in two 3-1 victories on April 18 and 19. The team finished with a 13-13 overall record and a 7-1 mark against the NEC.
In the last round of NEC weekly awards on April 21, Deardorff was named Player of the Week, Defensive Player of the Week, and prime performer after recording 37 kills and 18 digs.
Kyle Charles joined Deardorff by claiming Rookie of the Week honors and prime performer with his 82 assists, nine digs, eight kills, and five blocks combined between the two matches. Stump collected 32 kills and 11 digs to take his fifth prime performer.
On Wednesday, the Red Flash received three end-of-season conference awards, and four players earned spots on the All-NEC teams.
Mike Rumbaugh claimed his third-straight Coach of the Year, Deardorff nabbed Player of the Year and his third All-NEC First Team selection, and Charles grabbed Rookie of the Year and First Team honors. Stump (First Team) and
Sam Lane (Second Team) notched All-NEC spots as well.
Deardorff leads the squad with 375 kills and 50 service aces. In the eight regular season league matches, the Itasca, Ill. native was first in the conference in kills (120), kills per set (4.29), and service aces (16).
Charles completed the 2025 campaign with 820 assists, with 296 (10.96 per set) of them coming during the NEC matches. The freshman setter played a big part in the Red Flash defense, as he compiled 96 digs and 40 blocks (33 assisted, 7 solo) so far.
Stump is second in kills with 247, including 177 in the last 13 matches he was able to participate in. The junior combined for 108 in the eight NEC contests, and his 3.79 kills per set during them is the third-best mark in the conference.
Lane was an efficient source of offense and a wall on defense, as he ended the season with 123 kills and 57 blocks (53 assisted, 4 solo). The Rochester, N.Y. native's efficiency proved to be key in NEC play, as he finished second in the conference in average hitting percentage at .379 in 27 sets.
Richard Kaminski is the leader in digs with 135.
NEXT UP FOR FLASH
The winner of Saint Francis-FDU will move on to the NEC Championship match to face LIU or Daemen.
