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April 24, 2010

Dream Season Continues as Div. III No. 1Springfield Handles Saint Francis, 3-1

Dream Season Continues for Springfield as They Handled Saint Francis, 3-1

Springfield, Mass. - April 24, 2010 - The Springfield College men's volleyball team's dream season continued on Saturday afternoon as it defeated St. Francis, 3-1, in the Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association (EIVA) Division I Tournament. The Pride was victorious by the game scores of 31-29, 27-30, 30-22, 30-25.

The Pride will now move on to the EIVA Tournament semifinals where it will travel to take on Penn State on Thursday evening. Since Springfield turned Division III, this marks the first time in program history that the Pride has advanced to the EIVA Tournament semifinals.

Springfield, which is ranked the top team in Division III after winning the Molten Division III Men's Invitational Volleyball National Championship last weekend, improves to 20-11. The Red Flash's season comes to an end with a 12-15 mark.

The senior duo of AJ Nally and Eric Shoemaker went out in style in their final game on Blake Arena as they both had arguably the finest matches of their career in the landmark win. Nally recorded match-high's in both kills and digs as his season-high of 24 kills to go along with an incredible 23 digs. Shoemaker was equally as impressive as he delivered 59 assists and was a stalwart on defense, posting 22 digs.

"AJ and Eric were exceptional tonight," said head coach Charlie Sullivan. "Tonight their four years of hard work and leadership in our program was on display in this landmark win. This is another great celebration of the hard work that our team has put in all season."

The crowd of 818 fans was treated some great volleyball, especially on the defensive side of the ball as Springfield posted 82 digs in four games, compared to just 47 by St. Francis. In fact, Nally and Shoemaker combined for 45, nearly the entire total for the visitors. As a team, SC tallied 13.5 team blocks, while the Red Flash finished with 11.5 stuffs.

Alberto Bravo continued his hot play as he posted 17 kills and nine digs, while Cal Palumbo added 11 kills, hitting .529, to go along with six blocks. Alex Harrison was tremendous on defense, totaling 15 digs, and Greg Falcone recorded seven kills and six blocks for the Pride. Mike Pelletier was steady all night as he registered nine digs, eight kills, two blocks.

St. Francis was led by three players with double-figure kills as Nick Rivett notched a team-best 17 kills. Pete Freyer added 12, while Jordan Varee posted 11 kills, nine digs, and six blocks. John Wappler registered a team-best 13 digs, while Ryan Williams dished out 45 assists.

The opening set featured 18 ties as both teams were back and forth from the opening whistle. The Pride began upping the ante, building its lead as high as three points with a 15-12 score after a Nally kill. Bravo banged home a kill to give SC a 23-21 advantage, only to have the Red Flash reel off three-straight points, capped off by a Rivett kill, as St. Francis took a 24-23 lead and forced a Springfield timeout. Facing set point at 29-28, Nally came through with a big kill, and a Varee error made it 30-29 in favor of the Pride. Shoemaker didn't disappoint as he made an incredibly athletic play to win a joust over Freyer and give the hosts a one-game lead.

Springfield was on fire to begin the second set, opening up a 5-1 lead as the Pride totaled five kills on its first six swings. The barrage from the Pride continued until Saint Francis head coach Mike Rumbaugh called timeout trailing 7-2. After those nine points, Springfield was hitting .556 while the Red Flash were stuck at .000. However, the Flash responded with a 6-2 run that pulled them to within 9-8. A long rally which ultimately ended on a Bravo kill, featured some incredible defense from the Pride, including a pair of great digs by Shoemaker, prompted Rumbaugh to use his second timeout of the set. The Pride continued to roll and appeared to be in control as a Palumbo kill put the hosts up 18-13. St. Francis stormed back with five-straight points, as Rivett posted a pair of aces and a kill to force an SC timeout. SC went to Palumbo once again to even the set at 26 with a kill, only to have three consecutive Springfield errors hand the Red Flash set point. Varee closed out the set with a kill down the line to even the match at a game a piece.

SC raced out to a 5-2 lead as the Pride's defense continued to dictate the match. Springfield continued to pile it on, pushing the lead to 9-4 after a Palumbo and Nally double block. After Williams' attempted dump kill was pancaked and led to a nearly-identical Shoemaker dump for a Pride point, Rumbaugh was forced to call a timeout with his team trailing 11-5. Bravo bounced a ball down the line after hitting over the Red Flash block as Springfield's lead grew to 16-7, and force another visitor timeout. A Nally kill gave the hosts an eight-point cushion at 23-15, but St. Francis answered with a 5-1 run, capped off by a Varee ace to make it 24-20. Nally stopped the bleeding with two kills and Palumbo added a solo block as Springfield opened up a 27-20 advantage. Palumbo pounded home a kill in transition as the hosts took a 2-1 set advantage after winning the third, 30-22.

Neither team could snag much of an advantage in the fourth until back-to-back Nally kills provided Springfield with a 14-12 lead. St. Francis would not go away as Patrick McManamon and Rivett combined for a block to highlight a 3-0 spurt which evened the set at 17-all. Springfield then rattled off a 7-3 run, highlighted by Nally muscling down an overpass kill to force a St. Francis timeout with the score 24-20. Varee recorded a solo block on Nally to bring the Red Flash within three at 28-25, but Palumbo notched his 12th kill of the match to bring SC within one point of victory

From the Saint Francis Perspective

Redflash Fall in Heartbreaker to The Pride

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (April 24, 2010) – Despite earning a split of the first two sets, the Saint Francis men’s volleyball team lost a heartbreaker in the EIVA Quarterfinals, falling 1-3 (29-31, 30-27, 22-30, 25-30) to the Springfield Pride in Springfield, Mass. on Saturday.

The loss concludes the season for the Red Flash, who finish 12-15 overall. The Pride will take on the top-seeded Penn State Nittany Lions on Thursday, April 29 in University Park.
Red Flash head coach Mike Rumbaugh credited the team defense of the Pride for their victory. The Pride dug an astounding 82 digs on 168 swings. Two players - Eric Shoemaker and AJ Nally - posted 22 and 23 digs, respectively.

"I'm at a loss for words right now," said Rumbaugh. "Springfield's defense was excellent, and that's what won the game for them." The Red Flash opened the proceedings with a triple block from Pete Freyer(Orchard Park, N.Y./Orchard Park), Jordan Varee(Conneautville,
Pa./Conneaut Valley) and Nick Rivett(Pittsburgh, Pa./Fox Chapel), but promptly gave the advantage away on a service error. They regained the edge with a deft Varee tip from the backcourt that made it 2-1.

Springfield took their first lead of the set on a triple-block from Eric Shoemaker/Cal Palumbo/AJ Nally that made it 5-4. The Pride began upping the ante, building their lead as high as three points with a 15-12 score, with the Red Flash hitting just .062 to that point in the set.

The tight battle continued as Springfield kept the Red Flash at arm’s length; indeed, the Flash would not get closer than two points until Rivett stopped a long rally with a kill that brought his team to within 17-16. Alberto Bravo, fresh off a D-III Tournament MVP honor, swung the
momentum back with a kill, and Nally pushed one off the hands of a Red Flash defender to build the deficit back to 19-16. However, the Flash scored three straight to tie it at 19, thanks to an Alex Fortney(York, Pa./Central York) kill, a Ryan Williams(Pittsburgh, PA/Montour)/Patrick McManamon(Huntingdon, Pa./Huntingdon) double-block, and a setting error by Springfield. That momentum swing ultimately led to the Red Flash taking the lead at 24-23 on a RIvett kill, his fifth of the set.

After a Springfield timeout, the Pride pulled even at 27-27, but a Varee kill put the Flash ahead 28-27 and prompted Springfield coach Charlie Sullivan to use his second timeout of the first set. The Pride took the first point out of the timeout, but a service error from Bravo
put the Flash at set point. Nally crushed a kill to tie the score again at 29, and Varee put an attack out of bounds to put the Pride in position to take the first set. Springfield ultimately took the first set 31-29 on a joust win by Eric Shoemaker over Freyer. Springfield was on fire to begin the second set, opening up on a 4-0 run that would not be snuffed until a Pete Freyer kill near the sideline. The barrage from the Pride continued until Saint Francis head
coach Mike Rumbaugh called timeout trailing 7-2; after those nine points, Springfield was hitting .556 while the Red Flash were stuck at .000. However, the Flash responded with a 6-2 run that pulled them to within 9-8, but gave the advantage back on a Varee attack error. A long rally that ultimately ended on a Bravo kill prompted Rumbaugh to use his second timeout of the set.

Things appeared to be slipping away from the Flash as they fell behind 16-10, but three straight points, punctuated by a McManamon kill, brought things back within reason. A pair of quick strikes put the Pride back up 18-13, but they snuffed their own run with a service
error. After Ryan Williams scored a kill on an unlikely full swing, Nick Rivett pounded two straight aces. All of a sudden, the five-point hole had become just one, and Springfield coach Charlie Sullivan called timeout to steady his team. After the timeout, Tyler Mattera (Conneautville, Pa./Conneaut Valley) notched a kill to tie the score at 18, and the teams split the next pair of points thanks to kills from Cal Palumbo and Jordan Varee. The teams
were engaged in quite the battle, as neither could build a lead over the other. With the score tied at 22, Springfield’s AJ Nally pushed a kill just beyond the back line to give the Flash a 23-22 lead, prompting Coach Sullivan to use his final timeout of the set. Finally, the Flash
were able to break through and take the 28-26 lead; after a Cal Palumbo attack error, the Red Flash sat at set point. They ended the second set 30-27 on a Varee kill.

The early going of set three was highlighted by some unfortunate misses for the Flash, who started down 5-2 thanks to a misplayed ball off the rafters and a net violation. However, Rivett righted the ship will a kill, but Springfield won their third long rally of the day on a
McManamon error to maintain a three-point lead. Springfield piled on, however, pushing the lead to 9-4 with a Palumbo/Nally block. After Ryan Williams’ attempted dump kill was pancaked and led to a nearly-identical Shoemaker dump for a Pride point, Rumbaugh was forced to call a timeout with his team trailing 11-5.

The lead would reach eight points as the Pride had their way with the Flash, leading 14-6 at one point on a Palumbo kill. Rumbaugh was forced to use his second timeout with the Pride up 16-7 on a Bravo kill. Springfield continued to control the net line, barely giving the hitters
of the Flash room to breathe as Greg Falcone and Bravo combined for a block that helped put Springfield up 18-8.

The Red Flash started to slice at the lead, going on an 11-6 run that pulled them within 24-19 and back into the set. Alex Kane(York, Pa./West York) got in some quality points, contributing to one of the blocks (along with McManamon) along the way. Varee replaced Kane and
promptly aced Springfield, but the Pride settled down and scored on a pair of Nally kills to make it 26-20. Springfield took the 2-1 advantage in the match, winning the set 30-22 on a Palumbo kill. The Pride took the first two points of the fourth set, but the Red Flash responded with two straight points of their own to tie it at 2-2. Mattera helped pick up the team with a pair of kills, and the Red Flash took the 7-6 lead on a block from the combination of Jordan Varee and Pete Freyer. The teams traded points, but Springfield was able to
string together a pair of kills from AJ Nally to take the lead 14-12.

After Freyer dug a ball into the rafters that was later misplayed and ultimately led to two straight Springfield points, Rumbaugh called a timeout with the Red Flash trailing 17-14.

After the timeout, Rivett wailed a kill off AJ Nally to stop the bleeding, and put a ball on the same spot on the next play to pull his team with 17-16. On the very next play, the senior combined with Patrick McManamon on a block to tie the score at 17-17. However, every
time the Flash tied the score, the Pride would come right back and build another lead; they ultimately went up 24-20 on a joust, prompting Rumbaugh to use a timeout. After another Springfield point, the Flash notched two straight on Alex’s Fortney’s kill and Varee’s block.
Springfield stemmed the tide and went back up 26-22; after an ace by Greg Falcone put them ahead 27-22, Pete Freyer responded with a kill.

The Flash tried to pull back into the set, but the Pride ultimately won on a four-touch violation by the Flash that made it 30-25. The Red Flash were led in kills by Rivett, who finished with 17 to go along with six digs. Freyer had 12 kills and four blocks, while Varee added 11 kills and a team-high six blocks. John Wappler (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Allegheny) had a team-high 13 digs.



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Conference News 2005-06 \| 2006-07 \| 2007-08 \| 2008-09 \| 2009-10 \| 2010-11 \| 2011-12 April 24, 2010 Dream Season Continues as Div. III No. 1Springfield Handles Saint Francis, 3-1 Dream Season Continues for Springfield as They Handled Saint Francis, 3-1 Springfield, Mass. - April 24, 2010 - The Springfield College men's volleyball team's dream season continued on Saturday afternoon as it defeated St. Francis, 3-1, in the Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association (EIVA) Division I Tournament. The Pride was victorious by the game scores of 31-29, 27-30, 30-22, 30-25. The Pride will now move on to the EIVA Tournament semifinals where it will travel to take on Penn State on Thursday evening. Since Springfield turned Division III, this marks the first time in program history that the Pride has advanced to the EIVA Tournament semifinals. Springfield, which is ranked the top team in Division III after winning the Molten Division III Men's Invitational Volleyball National Championship last weekend, improves to 20-11. The Red Flash's season comes to an end with a 12-15 mark. The senior duo of AJ Nally and Eric Shoemaker went out in style in their final game on Blake Arena as they both had arguably the finest matches of their career in the landmark win. Nally recorded match-high's in both kills and digs as his season-high of 24 kills to go along with an incredible 23 digs. Shoemaker was equally as impressive as he delivered 59 assists and was a stalwart on defense, posting 22 digs. "AJ and Eric were exceptional tonight," said head coach Charlie Sullivan. "Tonight their four years of hard work and leadership in our program was on display in this landmark win. This is another great celebration of the hard work that our team has put in all season." The crowd of 818 fans was treated some great volleyball, especially on the defensive side of the ball as Springfield posted 82 digs in four games, compared to just 47 by St. Francis. In fact, Nally and Shoemaker combined for 45, nearly the entire total for the visitors. As a team, SC tallied 13.5 team blocks, while the Red Flash finished with 11.5 stuffs. Alberto Bravo continued his hot play as he posted 17 kills and nine digs, while Cal Palumbo added 11 kills, hitting .529, to go along with six blocks. Alex Harrison was tremendous on defense, totaling 15 digs, and Greg Falcone recorded seven kills and six blocks for the Pride. Mike Pelletier was steady all night as he registered nine digs, eight kills, two blocks. St. Francis was led by three players with double-figure kills as Nick Rivett notched a team-best 17 kills. Pete Freyer added 12, while Jordan Varee posted 11 kills, nine digs, and six blocks. John Wappler registered a team-best 13 digs, while Ryan Williams dished out 45 assists. The opening set featured 18 ties as both teams were back and forth from the opening whistle. The Pride began upping the ante, building its lead as high as three points with a 15-12 score after a Nally kill. Bravo banged home a kill to give SC a 23-21 advantage, only to have the Red Flash reel off three-straight points, capped off by a Rivett kill, as St. Francis took a 24-23 lead and forced a Springfield timeout. Facing set point at 29-28, Nally came through with a big kill, and a Varee error made it 30-29 in favor of the Pride. Shoemaker didn't disappoint as he made an incredibly athletic play to win a joust over Freyer and give the hosts a one-game lead. Springfield was on fire to begin the second set, opening up a 5-1 lead as the Pride totaled five kills on its first six swings. The barrage from the Pride continued until Saint Francis head coach Mike Rumbaugh called timeout trailing 7-2. After those nine points, Springfield was hitting .556 while the Red Flash were stuck at .000. However, the Flash responded with a 6-2 run that pulled them to within 9-8. A long rally which ultimately ended on a Bravo kill, featured some incredible defense from the Pride, including a pair of great digs by Shoemaker, prompted Rumbaugh to use his second timeout of the set. The Pride continued to roll and appeared to be in control as a Palumbo kill put the hosts up 18-13. St. Francis stormed back with five-straight points, as Rivett posted a pair of aces and a kill to force an SC timeout. SC went to Palumbo once again to even the set at 26 with a kill, only to have three consecutive Springfield errors hand the Red Flash set point. Varee closed out the set with a kill down the line to even the match at a game a piece. SC raced out to a 5-2 lead as the Pride's defense continued to dictate the match. Springfield continued to pile it on, pushing the lead to 9-4 after a Palumbo and Nally double block. After Williams' attempted dump kill was pancaked and led to a nearly-identical Shoemaker dump for a Pride point, Rumbaugh was forced to call a timeout with his team trailing 11-5. Bravo bounced a ball down the line after hitting over the Red Flash block as Springfield's lead grew to 16-7, and force another visitor timeout. A Nally kill gave the hosts an eight-point cushion at 23-15, but St. Francis answered with a 5-1 run, capped off by a Varee ace to make it 24-20. Nally stopped the bleeding with two kills and Palumbo added a solo block as Springfield opened up a 27-20 advantage. Palumbo pounded home a kill in transition as the hosts took a 2-1 set advantage after winning the third, 30-22. Neither team could snag much of an advantage in the fourth until back-to-back Nally kills provided Springfield with a 14-12 lead. St. Francis would not go away as Patrick McManamon and Rivett combined for a block to highlight a 3-0 spurt which evened the set at 17-all. Springfield then rattled off a 7-3 run, highlighted by Nally muscling down an overpass kill to force a St. Francis timeout with the score 24-20. Varee recorded a solo block on Nally to bring the Red Flash within three at 28-25, but Palumbo notched his 12th kill of the match to bring SC within one point of victory From the Saint Francis Perspective Redflash Fall in Heartbreaker to The Pride SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (April 24, 2010) – Despite earning a split of the first two sets, the Saint Francis men’s volleyball team lost a heartbreaker in the EIVA Quarterfinals, falling 1-3 (29-31, 30-27, 22-30, 25-30) to the Springfield Pride in Springfield, Mass. on Saturday. The loss concludes the season for the Red Flash, who finish 12-15 overall. The Pride will take on the top-seeded Penn State Nittany Lions on Thursday, April 29 in University Park. Red Flash head coach Mike Rumbaugh credited the team defense of the Pride for their victory. The Pride dug an astounding 82 digs on 168 swings. Two players - Eric Shoemaker and AJ Nally - posted 22 and 23 digs, respectively. "I'm at a loss for words right now," said Rumbaugh. "Springfield's defense was excellent, and that's what won the game for them." The Red Flash opened the proceedings with a triple block from Pete Freyer(Orchard Park, N.Y./Orchard Park), Jordan Varee(Conneautville, Pa./Conneaut Valley) and Nick Rivett(Pittsburgh, Pa./Fox Chapel), but promptly gave the advantage away on a service error. They regained the edge with a deft Varee tip from the backcourt that made it 2-1. Springfield took their first lead of the set on a triple-block from Eric Shoemaker/Cal Palumbo/AJ Nally that made it 5-4. The Pride began upping the ante, building their lead as high as three points with a 15-12 score, with the Red Flash hitting just .062 to that point in the set. The tight battle continued as Springfield kept the Red Flash at arm’s length; indeed, the Flash would not get closer than two points until Rivett stopped a long rally with a kill that brought his team to within 17-16. Alberto Bravo, fresh off a D-III Tournament MVP honor, swung the momentum back with a kill, and Nally pushed one off the hands of a Red Flash defender to build the deficit back to 19-16. However, the Flash scored three straight to tie it at 19, thanks to an Alex Fortney(York, Pa./Central York) kill, a Ryan Williams(Pittsburgh, PA/Montour)/Patrick McManamon(Huntingdon, Pa./Huntingdon) double-block, and a setting error by Springfield. That momentum swing ultimately led to the Red Flash taking the lead at 24-23 on a RIvett kill, his fifth of the set. After a Springfield timeout, the Pride pulled even at 27-27, but a Varee kill put the Flash ahead 28-27 and prompted Springfield coach Charlie Sullivan to use his second timeout of the first set. The Pride took the first point out of the timeout, but a service error from Bravo put the Flash at set point. Nally crushed a kill to tie the score again at 29, and Varee put an attack out of bounds to put the Pride in position to take the first set. Springfield ultimately took the first set 31-29 on a joust win by Eric Shoemaker over Freyer. Springfield was on fire to begin the second set, opening up on a 4-0 run that would not be snuffed until a Pete Freyer kill near the sideline. The barrage from the Pride continued until Saint Francis head coach Mike Rumbaugh called timeout trailing 7-2; after those nine points, Springfield was hitting .556 while the Red Flash were stuck at .000. However, the Flash responded with a 6-2 run that pulled them to within 9-8, but gave the advantage back on a Varee attack error. A long rally that ultimately ended on a Bravo kill prompted Rumbaugh to use his second timeout of the set. Things appeared to be slipping away from the Flash as they fell behind 16-10, but three straight points, punctuated by a McManamon kill, brought things back within reason. A pair of quick strikes put the Pride back up 18-13, but they snuffed their own run with a service error. After Ryan Williams scored a kill on an unlikely full swing, Nick Rivett pounded two straight aces. All of a sudden, the five-point hole had become just one, and Springfield coach Charlie Sullivan called timeout to steady his team. After the timeout, Tyler Mattera (Conneautville, Pa./Conneaut Valley) notched a kill to tie the score at 18, and the teams split the next pair of points thanks to kills from Cal Palumbo and Jordan Varee. The teams were engaged in quite the battle, as neither could build a lead over the other. With the score tied at 22, Springfield’s AJ Nally pushed a kill just beyond the back line to give the Flash a 23-22 lead, prompting Coach Sullivan to use his final timeout of the set. Finally, the Flash were able to break through and take the 28-26 lead; after a Cal Palumbo attack error, the Red Flash sat at set point. They ended the second set 30-27 on a Varee kill. The early going of set three was highlighted by some unfortunate misses for the Flash, who started down 5-2 thanks to a misplayed ball off the rafters and a net violation. However, Rivett righted the ship will a kill, but Springfield won their third long rally of the day on a McManamon error to maintain a three-point lead. Springfield piled on, however, pushing the lead to 9-4 with a Palumbo/Nally block. After Ryan Williams’ attempted dump kill was pancaked and led to a nearly-identical Shoemaker dump for a Pride point, Rumbaugh was forced to call a timeout with his team trailing 11-5. The lead would reach eight points as the Pride had their way with the Flash, leading 14-6 at one point on a Palumbo kill. Rumbaugh was forced to use his second timeout with the Pride up 16-7 on a Bravo kill. Springfield continued to control the net line, barely giving the hitters of the Flash room to breathe as Greg Falcone and Bravo combined for a block that helped put Springfield up 18-8. The Red Flash started to slice at the lead, going on an 11-6 run that pulled them within 24-19 and back into the set. Alex Kane(York, Pa./West York) got in some quality points, contributing to one of the blocks (along with McManamon) along the way. Varee replaced Kane and promptly aced Springfield, but the Pride settled down and scored on a pair of Nally kills to make it 26-20. Springfield took the 2-1 advantage in the match, winning the set 30-22 on a Palumbo kill. The Pride took the first two points of the fourth set, but the Red Flash responded with two straight points of their own to tie it at 2-2. Mattera helped pick up the team with a pair of kills, and the Red Flash took the 7-6 lead on a block from the combination of Jordan Varee and Pete Freyer. The teams traded points, but Springfield was able to string together a pair of kills from AJ Nally to take the lead 14-12. After Freyer dug a ball into the rafters that was later misplayed and ultimately led to two straight Springfield points, Rumbaugh called a timeout with the Red Flash trailing 17-14. After the timeout, Rivett wailed a kill off AJ Nally to stop the bleeding, and put a ball on the same spot on the next play to pull his team with 17-16. On the very next play, the senior combined with Patrick McManamon on a block to tie the score at 17-17. However, every time the Flash tied the score, the Pride would come right back and build another lead; they ultimately went up 24-20 on a joust, prompting Rumbaugh to use a timeout. After another Springfield point, the Flash notched two straight on Alex’s Fortney’s kill and Varee’s block. Springfield stemmed the tide and went back up 26-22; after an ace by Greg Falcone put them ahead 27-22, Pete Freyer responded with a kill. The Flash tried to pull back into the set, but the Pride ultimately won on a four-touch violation by the Flash that made it 30-25. The Red Flash were led in kills by Rivett, who finished with 17 to go along with six digs. Freyer had 12 kills and four blocks, while Varee added 11 kills and a team-high six blocks. John Wappler (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Allegheny) had a team-high 13 digs.