WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
>> Saint Francis men's volleyball advances to the Northeast Conference (NEC) Championship match for the third year in a row after defeating FDU in four sets Friday night (25-21, 25-19, 24-26, 25-18).
>> The Red Flash will face #3-seeded Daemen in a rematch of the 2024 NEC Championship match tomorrow afternoon at 5. The winner will earn their first ever NCAA Tournament berth.
>> Nicholas Lynch was dominant offensively and defensively, notching a team-high 10 kills and seven blocks. The Rochester, N.Y. native racked up his 10 slams on an efficient .643 hitting percentage.
>> Andrew Deardorff registered nine kills, three service aces, three digs and one block before suffering an injury at the beginning of set four.
TURNING POINTS OF THE MATCH
Saint Francis maintained control over all of set one, as they only trailed once. The squad jumped out to a 15-13 lead going into the media timeout, and pushed their advantage forward with a 4-0 spurt to go up as much as 19-13. Cole Dorn slammed down a kill for set point to help the Red Flash take the first set, 25-21.
The second set began close with the team knotted at five through the first few serves. Saint Francis put an end to that with a 7-1 run to make the score 12-6. A timeout from the Knights would not help their cause, as the Red Flash did not allow the deficit to get below five. Lynch secured the last two points to give the team a 25-19 set two victory.
FDU held the upper hand throughout the beginning of set three, as they got out to a 11-7 lead. Saint Francis clawed their back into that by making the deficit 16-14 and continued their rally with a 6-1 spurt to make it 20-17. From here, the two teams went back-and-forth until the score was dead even at 24 heading into extra serves.
The Knights avoided the sweep with back-to-back slams to win set three, 26-24.
Deardorff's injury in the fourth set occurred with the score tied at 1. The Red Flash rallied behind this setback by streaking out to a 18-12 advantage. FDU scored four-straight points to cut it to 18-16, forcing Mike Rumbaugh to call a timeout. That timeout was another spark for the squad, as they went on a furious 7-2 run to close out the match.
An attack error from the Knights gave Saint Francis the 3-1 match victory with a set four final score of 25-18.
FLASH MOMENTS
It was an all-around effort in set one that helped the Red Flash capture set one. Defensively, they held FDU to just five kills on a -.071 hitting percentage. From the service line, Saint Francis had a set-high four service aces.
The offensive attack led the way for the Red Flash in the second set, as they accumulated 11 kills on a .407 hitting percentage.
The Red Flash defense was a brick wall in the final set, holding FDU's offensive attack to 9 kills on 9 attack errors.
The team had five blocks in both sets three and four.
FLASH NUGGETS
Saint Francis and Daemen split the season series at the Wildcats' Lumsden Gymnasium April 11-12. Daemen took the first set in four, and the Red Flash bounced back in a sweep the following day.
Saint Francis finished the night with 12 total blocks, the second-best mark in that category this season. Along with Lynch's seven, Kyle Charles, Sam Lane, and Cole Dorn all chipped in four apiece. Charles himself got a solo block in set four.
Lynch, Stump, Dorn and Charles all pitched in two aces a part of the squad's 12 for the whole match. That total is another second-best mark in the 2025 campaign.
Along with his four blocks and two service aces, Charles collected 34 assists.
Lane produced six kills on an efficient .455 hitting percentage.
Stump, Dorn, Charles, and Jackson Decker tied for the team-high in digs with five.
Stump was third on the team with eight kills.
NEXT UP FOR FLASH
Men's Volleyball will face Daemen in the NEC Championship match on Saturday at 5. The contest will be aired on NEC Front Row and ESPN+.
