LORETTO, Penn. - The St. Francis Brooklyn men's volleyball team closed out its final multi-game road trip of the regular season, taking on Saint Francis (PA) at DeGol Arena on Saturday afternoon.
The road trip did not finish in the favor of the visiting St. Francis, as the Red Flash (15-11, 8-7 EIVA) took the 3-0 win over the Terriers (10-13, 4-10 EIVA).
The opening set saw SFU establish itself offensively, hitting 50.0% to begin the match. Kills by James Henneberry and Matt Mongin would help put SFBK 3-0 to start, but after a 4-0 run to answer the Red Flash would lead the rest of the way. They took the first set, 25-17.
The second looked to be going the same direction, with SFU playing in front for the majority of the second set. A 4-1 with the Terriers down 17-19, spurned by an ace and a kill by David Vorfi, tied the game at 20-all. The two teams would play even for the next 16 points, leading to a 28-28 tie, thanks in part to five combined service errors.
Timothy Walsh and Bartek Zielinski stood tall at the net on the next point to put the Terriers to a 29-28 set point, but a rare Vorfi service error would tie the set again. Both teams would trade the next four points, going beyond the thirty mark for the second time this season.
A pair of back-to-back kills by SFU's Blake Liprando would ultimately be the difference, as the home team took the marathon second set 34-32.
In an effort to spurn a comeback, SFBK head coach Niko Lambert brought on junior opposite Daniel Lee for just the third match this season. Lee rewarded the decision by scoring a pair of kills to help the Terriers go up 8-4. The Terriers lead, or played with a tie, up through the 28th point of the third set, when a pair of service errors tied the match at 14. That point kicked off a 6-1 scoring for the Red Flash that put them back in front and they lead through the remainder of the set, clinching the match win with a 25-18 third set victory.
TEAM LEADERS
David Vorfi led the Terriers in kills (9), aces (2) and digs (8) on Saturday afternoon.
Timothy Walsh's team-high 2 blocks are his most since the season opener against Purdue-Fort Wayne on Jan. 22.
Matt Mongin paced the visitors with 20 assists.
NEXT UP: SFBK closes out the regular season with a home-and-home battle against NJIT Apr. 15-16, with the Apr. 16 match-up designated as Senior Day for the Terriers. First serve Friday in Newark is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. and the action at the Genovesi Center on Saturday is set for 4:00 p.m.
