Purdue Fort Wayne
St. Francis (Pa.)
'Dons Struck Late by Red Flash
3/21/2009 12:00:00 AM | Men's Volleyball
March 21, 2009
Loretto, PA -- Despite capturing the opening two sets Saturday night, the IPFW Mastodons (9-9) collapsed late and fell to the Saint Francis Red Flash (11-9) 3-2 (31-29, 30-24, 27-30, 18-30, 7-15).
With the loss, IPFW moved to (9-9) on the year as SFU jumped to 11-9. Darryl Shank led the 'Dons with 20 kills (20-10-55) while Oliver Kook and Nathaniel Berg both added 11 respectively.
Corey Stewart shouldered the 'Dons offensive load with 42 assists while Dan Mader added 10. Ben Duckworth's serving success continued with four aces.
IPFW got on the board early in the first set leading 15-10 after a Shank kill. Saint Francis pushed back to cut the advantage to two at 20-18 when IPFW called a timeout. SFU tied the score at 27-27 then gave the Red Flash two set points before getting in rhythm and securing the set thanks to a service aces from Jonathan Meyer and a kill from setter Corey Stewart.
IPFW jumped ahead again in the second set leading 12-9 before the Red Flash jumped back and tied the set 14-14. Ben Duckworth logged a service ace and Kook hit two forcing a SFU timeout. IPFW led 25-18 and pulled away securing the second set 30-24. IPFW hit a match-best .467 in the second set to SFU's .395.
After the intermission, SFU came out firing and took the lead early at 5-4 and again at 9-8 before they gained any separation. The Red Flash pulled ahead 17-13 before IPFW coach Arnie Ball used a timeout to try and settle the 'Dons nerves. After trailing by seven, the 'Dons went on a 3-0 run and cut the lead to one at 27-26 after Berg ripped to kills and Shank attacked one also. The 'Dons would score once more in the set thanks to a kill from Phil Peterson but it wasn't enough as they lost 27-30.
In the fourth frame, the 'Dons hit .231 to SFU's .571 and The Red Flash rushed out to a 9-4 lead and despite an IPFW timeout, the momentum continued for SFU as they went on to lead 15-5. IPFW didn't get closer than seven the remainder of the way inevitably falling 18-30.
In the fifth and final frame, Saint Francis continued to ride the momentum of the fourth set jumping out to a 3-0 lead. IPFW scored on a Saint Francis attack error and got its first kill from Ben Duckworth to trail by three at 5-2. The 'Dons closed the gap to two at 8-6, but couldn't get over the hump as the Flash then went on a 6-0 run to all but end the match at 14-6. IPFW scored its last point on a SFU service error and fell 15-7.
The Red Flash were led by Jordan Varee with 29 points (25 kills and 14 digs). Shank had 23.5 points for the 'Dons and Matt Pliske picked up 12 digs.
The 'Dons return to action Friday, March 27 against the EIVA's Rutgers-Newark. Match time is set for 7:00 PM at IPFW's Gates Sports Center.
~Dons~
