Men's Volleyball | 4/26/2026 8:40:00 PM

Saint Francis has advanced to the NCAA Division I Tournament and is to play Loyola Chicago in its first NCAA Tournament game ever. This will be held on Friday in Long Beach, Calif. Tipoff is set for 10:00 pm (EST) / 7:00 pm (PST) on ESPN+. 

The winner between Saint Francis and Loyola Chicago will advance to the Regional Finals. They will face No. 3 Long Beach St. on Saturday. 

Saint Francis advanced to the NCAA Tournament after winning both the semifinal vs LIU (3-0) and finals vs FDU (3-1) during the NEC Championship. Senior Brady Stump paced the Red Flash with 24 kills, 10 digs, and five aces during the NEC Tournament. He was named NEC Tournament MVP after his performance. Sophomore Kyle Charles aided the offense with 72 assists, eight digs, and seven kills in the wins to be named to the All-Tournament team. Brayden Gall was another huge player for Saint Francis. He finished with 13 kills and a .818 hitting percentage. Richard Kaminski was also named to the All-Tournament team. 

Stump, an All-NEC first-team member, leads the Red Flash with 313 kills and 53 service aces. As of Thursday, he is fifth in the nation with aces per set (.539). Charles, an All-NEC first-team performer, leads his team with 739 assists and fourth in digs with 111. Senior Cole Dorn, an All-NEC first-team member, paced his team with 149 digs, second in kills (216), and third in blocks (38) and aces (24). 

Loyola Chicago advanced to the NCAA Tournament after receiving an at-large bid. They were runner-ups in the Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association (MIVA) Tournament. The Ramblers fell to No.1 Ball State (0-3) after beating No.7 Purdue Fort Wayne (3-1) and No.6 Lewis (3-0). 

Daniel Fabikovic leads Loyola Chicago with 267 kills and runs second in digs (131) and blocks (62). JJ Sowa leads with 176 digs, Ryan McElligott paces with 626 assists, and Aidan Klein leads with 94 blocks and 26 aces. 

This is the second year in a row that the Ramblers will attend the NCAA Tournament. Last year, Loyola Chicago fell to No.5 Pepperdine (1-3) in Regionals. 

Mike Rumbaugh is in his 28th season as head coach for Saint Francis. This is the first game in the NCAA Tournament will be Rumbaugh's 382nd game as the head coach and first in the NCAA Tournament. Rumbaugh arrived in Loretto in 1998 after serving a six-year term as an assistant coach with the men's and women's volleyball teams at Mercyhurst College.