WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
>> Saint Francis men's volleyball dropped the Northeast Conference (NEC) Championship match to Daemen in four sets on Saturday (22-25, 25-21, 15-25, 22-25).
>> Brady Stump tallied 13 kills, seven digs, and two service aces. The junior earned a spot on the NEC All-Tournament team.
>> Cole Dorn recorded a team-high 12 digs, eight kills, and one service ace.
TURNING POINTS OF THE MATCH
The first set began as a back-and-forth affair, as the teams were knotted at 10 through the first serves. The Red Flash defense came through during a proceeding 5-2 run that featured two Wildcat attack errors plus a block from Nicholas Lynch and Michael Mosbacher to make the score 15-12 heading into the media timeout.
Out of the break, Daemen countered with a 8-2 rally to go up 20-17. They pushed their advantage to 24-20 heading into the final serves. An attack error and a solo block from Sam Lane gave Saint Francis two-straight points, but the Wildcats' Zach Schneider slammed down a kill to give the Wildcats a 25-22 set one victory.
The second set began the same as set two, with the Red Flash going up 15-12 at the media timeout. This time, the team was able to wave off a potential comeback from the Wildcats when they made the score 22-20. A kill from Dorn and an ace and slam from Stump engineered the 3-1 run by Saint Francis to help them take set two, 25-21.
Set three was controlled by the Wildcats. They bolted out to a 16-9 advantage and wouldn't look back. The visiting team never let their lead get below five and ended up winning the third set, 25-15.
The fourth set saw Daemen jump out to a quick 7-2 lead. They maintained their lead until the score was 23-16. This was when Saint Francis went on a furious 6-1 rally to cut the deficit to 24-22. The run featured a block from Lane and Kyle Charles, another rejection by Charles and Nicholas Lynch, a kill from Michael Mosbacher, and a slam from Stump.
The Wildcats' Maverick O'Neil slammed down a kill for match point and the championship.
FLASH MOMENTS
Saint Francis accumulated 16 kills on a .361 hitting percentage in set two. They also chipped in three service aces for good measure. Stump had four kills and an ace during the second game.
FLASH NUGGETS
Stump finished the tournament with 22 kills, 12 digs, four service aces, a block, and an assist.
Andrew Deardorff earned All-Tournament honors alongside Stump as well.
Dorn tied his career-high dig total in today's contest.
Lane led the squad with four blocks (three assisted, one solo). The junior also posted six kills and three digs.
Richard Kaminski and Mosbacher each totaled six digs. Mosbacher also chipped in seven kills, an ace, and a block.
NEXT UP FOR FLASH
Saturday's loss puts an end to the Red Flash's season.
