PITTSFORD, NY – The No. 6 St. John Fisher University men's volleyball team (13-3) overcame an early 2-0 deficit to reverse sweep No. 9 Nazareth Golden Flyers (13-1) in a five-set classic.

Nazareth came out strong in the first set, opening a 12-6 lead to force an early timeout from Fisher Coach Matt Cohen. The lead would swell to as large as seven, down 15-8, before a 6-3 run from Fisher closed the gap to five down 19-14. The Golden Flyers were able to solidify the first set 25-18, moving the crowd and momentum with them.

The second set started in close fashion, with Nazareth maintaining a 5-3 lead. Sensing the momentum in the Golden Flyers favor, Cohen took his first timeout of the second set. The set would stay close, tied at 13-13. A 5-1 run from Nazareth would force another timeout from Fisher, with the Cardinals down 18-14. The timeout would do little to slow down the offense of the Golden Flyers, who finished on another strong run, posting a 7-3 mark to end the second set, 25-17.

Over the first two sets, Fisher hit just -0.018%, with just 13 kills and 14 errors across 56 attempts. On the contrary, Nazareth hit 0.317% with 29 kills across 60 attempts.

Fisher took their first lead of the day in the third set, up 8-7. From there, Fisher would post their largest lead to point at four, up 15-11. The growing lead came from kills by Griffin Stella and Gabe La Robardiere. While Nazareth tied the set at 15-15, another kill from La Robardiere was supported by two more points to give Fisher an 18-15 edge. With the score tied at 22-22, Stella and Josh Bigford put down another kill to solidify set three, 25-23.

When asked about the adjustments from the first two sets, head coach Matt Cohen highlighted the early success of the Golden Flyers.

"You have to give credit to Nazareth, I think they were really ready for us and positioned themselves really well to combat what works best for us. They got us out of system and played really loose," he said.

The shift, according to Cohen, came in the third set "we stayed aggressive and loose, and they made a few more mistakes. The difference is that these mistakes became runs for us, while in the first two sets the points went in their favor."

Momentum continued to shift in the Cardinals favor heading into the fourth set, who posted a 13-6 edge. From there, Nazareth would come back to shrink the deficit to three, down 15-12, but the Cardinals would hold the advantage throughout the set. Nazareth brought the score to 24-23 on an error from the Cardinals, but an error on Nazareth helped push the contest to the fifth set.

The fifth set featured a remarkable 7-0 run with big serves and defense from Gavin Newman. The run gave the Cardinals the 10-3 advantage. The edge was enough to push Fisher past the Golden Flyers, taking set five 15-5. The five-set victory marks the fifth consecutive win over the Golden Flyers.

Up next, Fisher will take on No. 5 Vassar and No. 10 New York University in a trip to Poughkeepsie beginning on Friday, Feb. 24.

Stay up-to-date with the latest news, scores, highlights and more by downloading the official mobile app for Fisher Athletics. Just search SJF Athletics in the App Store or on Google Play and download today for free.  Follow the Cardinals on social media for more! Twitter | Instagram