Men's Volleyball | 6/29/2026 7:15:00 PM

If you attended a Saint Francis men's volleyball match in the early 2000s, the atmosphere was electric. The student section, nicknamed "Rummy's Rascals" in honor of longtime head coach Mike Rumbaugh, created the ultimate home court advantage.

Jordan Varee ('10) will be inducted into the Saint Francis University Athletic Hall of Fame in July. He remembers when the Rascals helped propel his team to a win over #11 Ohio State during his senior year.

"There was so much adrenaline with Ohio State being in the gym," Varee remembered. "As we were winning the match students started texting and calling their friends and more people poured in and packed the gym."

The stunning upset came on January 17, 2010.  Saint Francis jumped out to an 8-2 lead. After the Buckeyes rallied to tie the score at 21, Nick Rivett ripped a kill to put Varee on the service line. With the crowd growing louder after every point, Varee sparked a seven-point run that included four service aces. The Red Flash closed out the set 30-22. (Under the scoring format used at the time, teams needed 30 points to win a set.)

"We worked with Jordan on his serve throughout his career. His senior season it became another scoring threat," Rumbaugh said.
 
Saint Francis carried that momentum to a 3-1 victory.

"For us to be able to get a win of that magnitude as a small Division I school was huge," Varee said. "We had so much experience on the floor that year."

Rumbaugh still considers that one of the program's special teams, not only because of its success, but because the players remain close today.

"One of Jordan's close friends on the team was Nick Rivett. With Nick on pin and Jordan on the other side opposing teams had to pick their poison. Without Nick I am not sure Jordan does what he did."

What Varee accomplished was remarkable.

He remains the program's career leader with 1,854 kills and is still the only player in school history to record 30 kills in a match three different times.
 

Small-town roots

Long before he became one of the greatest attackers in Saint Francis history, Varee was a small-town kid from Conneautville, Pennsylvania, about 45 minutes south of Erie.

His mother and grandfather introduced him to volleyball. His mother also coached the sport, and Varee and his brothers spent countless hours in gyms attending practices and camps. Those experiences helped him develop into a standout player for Tool City Volleyball Club.

"I always dreamed of playing for Penn State, but Saint Francis was one of the few Division I schools to make an offer," Varee said. "I graduated high school with 63 people in my class. Seeing how small and tight knit the campus was, it felt like home."   
 
The decision became even easier because his cousin, Tyler Mattera, had joined Rumbaugh's program a year earlier.

"When I was recruiting at the State College high school tournaments thing that that really caught my eye was watching Jordan and Tyler play doubles on the empty court between matches," Rumbaugh said. "While the other kids would go outside or play on their phones they kept playing. It also allowed me to see that Jordan was not just a setter. He could attack with power."

Rumbaugh inherited an athletic but unconventional player. Varee attacked with what coaches call a "goofy-footed" approach.

"I approach the ball like I'm hitting as a left-hander, but I'm right-handed," Varee said with a laugh.

Rumbaugh initially tried to change his footwork before deciding to let Varee's athleticism take over.

"Part of the reason I think he was so successful was because no one could figure out how to read him with this approach."
 

The quiet leader

"If you knew Jordan, you loved Jordan.  You talk about accountability; he led by example, Rumbaugh said.

Varee wanted the ball in big moments, but said his roommate was the verbal leader.

"Nick Rivett was 100 percent the captain of the team and he backed it up by his play. We started together as freshmen and had that chemistry."

Varee was known to let his play do the talking, but Rummy's Rascals also had his back. One of coach Rumbaugh's favorite memories came in a match against Ball State.
 
"I remember the Libero talking smack the whole match to Jordan right in front of the Rummy Rascals.  The Rascals were chirping too."

Varee hammered a kill that struck the libero, sending the crowd into a frenzy. The celebration became so wild that members of the student section broke through a bleacher railing and spilled onto the court.

"I can't tell you how many times we replayed that video in the locker room," Varee said. "We had a great following from all students on campus, but especially the men's soccer team. We'd go to their games, and they'd come out to support us."
 

Still giving back to the game

After graduation Varee spent some time with the U.S. National team, where he did correct that goofy footwork.  He also became a coach, including a short stint back at Saint Francis.

In recent years, Varee has played in the Volleyball League of America (VLA). He and his wife Casey and their three children recently moved to a new home in Tennessee, but he remains fond of his time in Loretto and often makes it back to see a match.

Mattera said his cousin exemplifies what it meant to be a Division I athlete.

"He's a great ambassador for the university. To him, Saint Francis wasn't just a place he attended. It's a proud part of his identity."