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January 17, 2010

Red Flash Stun #11 Ohio State Buckeyes In Four Sets

Red Flash Stun #11 Ohio State Buckeyes In Four Sets

LORETTO, Pa. (Jan. 17, 2010) - In front of a vociferous crowd and playing their best match of the season, the Red Flash men's volleyball team upset the #11-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes in Loretto on Sunday.

The Red Flash improve to 3-1 overall, 0-1 in the EIVA Tait, while the Buckeyes fall to 1-4, with a 1-0 record in the MIVA.

Those searching for a reason for the historic victory (it was the first time the Red Flash had ever defeated the Buckeyes, a long-time power in the Midwest Intercollegiate Volleyball situation) might point to Jordan Varee's (Conneautville, Pa./Conneaut Valley) 20 kills and six digs, or the double-double Nick Rivett (Pittsburgh, Pa./Fox Chapel) posted.

However, head coach Mike Rumbaugh says the win was a true team effort, from top to bottom.

"That match was a great example of the depth of our team," said Rumbaugh. "We did not allow them to key on one or two guys, and they had to stay honest as a result."

Take, for example, the play of middles Patrick McManamon (Huntingdon, Pa./Huntingdon) and John Skarupa (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Allegheny). After beginning the season on the bench for the Red Flash, Skarupa excelled against Sacred Heart on January 16 and earned the start against the Buckeyes. Skarupa keyed the 8-2 run in the first set for the Flash with two kills and a block, but afterwards tapered off.

Enter McManamon, who entered the match in the fourth set and delivered four kills that helped put the outcome in favor of Saint Francis.

"I give both of those guys so much credit," said Rumbaugh. "[Skarupa] has been working his tail off in practice, and he earned that start today with good play. And [McManamon] kept his head up, didn't get down on himself, and he helped us win today."

"His attitude was what I like to see," said Rumbaugh.

After beginning the first set on an 8-2 run, the Red Flash never took the heat off the Buckeyes. Ohio State would pull as close as two points to make it 11-9, but Saint Francis would build on their lead, extending it to 15-9 with a 4-0 run.

After the Buckeyes' 11-5 run tied the score at 20, the teams traded points to 21-21. Rivett ripped a kill to make the score 22-21 and put the ball in the hands of Varee, who went back to serve.

What happened next was only being called "The Run" by those at the match, an eight-serve sequence that led to seven straight Red Flash points. Varee notched an incredible four aces in that span, and one serve hit Ohio State's receiver so hard it came back over the net for
Rivett to bury in the corner.

"We've been working with Jordan's serve a lot in practice," said Rumbaugh. "I think as the season goes on, our ability to get him to the line will mean points."

The Run finally ended when Varee hit the net on his eighth serve, but the damage was done; in the blink of an eye, 22-21 became 29-22. The Flash took the first set when Skarupa pounded a kill to make it 30-22.

The second set saw the Buckeyes come out much stronger than the first, but the Red Flash weathered an early storm to build a 7-6 lead. The Flash would never trail again as they began to pull away from Ohio State.

At 10-10 in the second set, the Flash went on an 11-4 run to all but seal the second set. The Buckeyes chipped the lead down to 28-24, but it was not enough as a pair of errors from Shawn Sangrey and Nick Gibson gave the Flash a 30-25 win.

Perhaps for the first time feeling the pressure of the situation, the Flash fell behind early to the Buckeyes in the third set and this time were not able to pull themselves off the mat. Ohio State's attacks were powerful and more importantly on target, and the Red Flash "tightened," according to Rumbaugh.

"I think once we got down a little bit, we were afraid to make any mistakes," said Rumbaugh.

The Buckeyes' lead would get as large as eight several times, with that being the final margin of victory in the set they won 30-22.

The fourth set came with a wave of emotion for the Red Flash partisans in attendance, cheering their team to an early 10-7 lead after the Flash embarked on a 5-2 run. After that, Saint Francis bent but never broke, never letting the Buckeyes again tie the score.

Varee had his most inspired set of the match, notching seven kills on ten swings with just one error, and Pete Freyer (Orchard Park, N.Y./Orchard Park) recorded six of his season-high 12 kills and sparking his team emotionally, and the Flash took the fourth set 30-25.



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Conference News 2005-06 \| 2006-07 \| 2007-08 \| 2008-09 \| 2009-10 \| 2010-11 \| 2011-12 January 17, 2010 Red Flash Stun #11 Ohio State Buckeyes In Four Sets Red Flash Stun #11 Ohio State Buckeyes In Four Sets LORETTO, Pa. (Jan. 17, 2010) - In front of a vociferous crowd and playing their best match of the season, the Red Flash men's volleyball team upset the #11-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes in Loretto on Sunday. The Red Flash improve to 3-1 overall, 0-1 in the EIVA Tait, while the Buckeyes fall to 1-4, with a 1-0 record in the MIVA. Those searching for a reason for the historic victory (it was the first time the Red Flash had ever defeated the Buckeyes, a long-time power in the Midwest Intercollegiate Volleyball situation) might point to Jordan Varee's (Conneautville, Pa./Conneaut Valley) 20 kills and six digs, or the double-double Nick Rivett (Pittsburgh, Pa./Fox Chapel) posted. However, head coach Mike Rumbaugh says the win was a true team effort, from top to bottom. "That match was a great example of the depth of our team," said Rumbaugh. "We did not allow them to key on one or two guys, and they had to stay honest as a result." Take, for example, the play of middles Patrick McManamon (Huntingdon, Pa./Huntingdon) and John Skarupa (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Allegheny). After beginning the season on the bench for the Red Flash, Skarupa excelled against Sacred Heart on January 16 and earned the start against the Buckeyes. Skarupa keyed the 8-2 run in the first set for the Flash with two kills and a block, but afterwards tapered off. Enter McManamon, who entered the match in the fourth set and delivered four kills that helped put the outcome in favor of Saint Francis. "I give both of those guys so much credit," said Rumbaugh. "[Skarupa] has been working his tail off in practice, and he earned that start today with good play. And [McManamon] kept his head up, didn't get down on himself, and he helped us win today." "His attitude was what I like to see," said Rumbaugh. After beginning the first set on an 8-2 run, the Red Flash never took the heat off the Buckeyes. Ohio State would pull as close as two points to make it 11-9, but Saint Francis would build on their lead, extending it to 15-9 with a 4-0 run. After the Buckeyes' 11-5 run tied the score at 20, the teams traded points to 21-21. Rivett ripped a kill to make the score 22-21 and put the ball in the hands of Varee, who went back to serve. What happened next was only being called "The Run" by those at the match, an eight-serve sequence that led to seven straight Red Flash points. Varee notched an incredible four aces in that span, and one serve hit Ohio State's receiver so hard it came back over the net for Rivett to bury in the corner. "We've been working with Jordan's serve a lot in practice," said Rumbaugh. "I think as the season goes on, our ability to get him to the line will mean points." The Run finally ended when Varee hit the net on his eighth serve, but the damage was done; in the blink of an eye, 22-21 became 29-22. The Flash took the first set when Skarupa pounded a kill to make it 30-22. The second set saw the Buckeyes come out much stronger than the first, but the Red Flash weathered an early storm to build a 7-6 lead. The Flash would never trail again as they began to pull away from Ohio State. At 10-10 in the second set, the Flash went on an 11-4 run to all but seal the second set. The Buckeyes chipped the lead down to 28-24, but it was not enough as a pair of errors from Shawn Sangrey and Nick Gibson gave the Flash a 30-25 win. Perhaps for the first time feeling the pressure of the situation, the Flash fell behind early to the Buckeyes in the third set and this time were not able to pull themselves off the mat. Ohio State's attacks were powerful and more importantly on target, and the Red Flash "tightened," according to Rumbaugh. "I think once we got down a little bit, we were afraid to make any mistakes," said Rumbaugh. The Buckeyes' lead would get as large as eight several times, with that being the final margin of victory in the set they won 30-22. The fourth set came with a wave of emotion for the Red Flash partisans in attendance, cheering their team to an early 10-7 lead after the Flash embarked on a 5-2 run. After that, Saint Francis bent but never broke, never letting the Buckeyes again tie the score. Varee had his most inspired set of the match, notching seven kills on ten swings with just one error, and Pete Freyer (Orchard Park, N.Y./Orchard Park) recorded six of his season-high 12 kills and sparking his team emotionally, and the Flash took the fourth set 30-25.