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Match Preview Versus Saint Francis Red Flash

Michigan State's Varsity Smash team begins the road to defending its PEC Championship title this Saturday, September 6 with an out-of-conference season opener versus Saint Francis (PA) in Sandusky, Ohio. Adding to the season opener's significance, Javi Sierra steps into the role as the second Head Smash Coach in program history.

The Spartans enter the Riptide Collegiate Smash invitational in Sandusky, Ohio, as the tournament's second seed and one of the overwhelming favorites among the 32-team field, carrying the momentum from their previous championship victory over Nebraska in Las Vegas this past April. With the entire championship roster returning for the 2025-2026 season, the Spartans face championship-or-bust expectations with a new head coach.

Sierra brings impressive credentials despite debuting his collegiate coaching career in green and white. The Tennessee native has worked extensively with high-caliber professional players, including some of the greatest competitors the game has ever produced. That elite-level experience now needs to translate into developing multiple classes of college talent, presenting a test with unique challenges.

"I am incredibly excited for my first time coaching with a team," Sierra said about his collegiate debut. "Having never coached in a collegiate capacity before, I am looking forward to the opportunity to grow and learn all I can from this experience while helping the players achieve the best level of play possible."

The opening matchup against Saint Francis provides an intriguing measuring stick. The Red Flash will likely center their strategy around Ohio native and Luigi main Carmen “Teo” Lefoer, whose 63% set win record in recent semiprofessional competition demands respect. However, not all wins are made equal, and the disparity of both depth and topline strength between the two teams remains quite significant—Michigan State's veteran core of seniors Adam 'Suspect' Ismaili-Alaoui and Dyson 'Dice' Mingo provides much greater experience and stability both in competition and team leadership that Saint Francis does not have the resume to match.

Sierra's approach to managing second-seed expectations reflects veteran wisdom from a coaching newcomer. "The team is no stranger to having pressures of performing well," he explained. "My goal for them mentally is to remind them how important it is to stay grounded in the present and focus on the task at hand."

The Swiss format tournament structure—five rounds Saturday with six of the thirty-two teams advancing to Sunday's single elimination playoffs—amplifies every match's importance. Sierra views Saturday as a crucial baseline establishment. "I want to focus on seeing how receptive they are to advice in the moment, how helpful our preparation prior to the event is, and how quickly they can apply the advice," he said. 

The match against Saint Francis kicks off Saturday, September 6th at 9:00 AM EST on the Spartan’s own Twitch channel (click here to watch the game for free), with Michigan State seeking to blend heavy expectations with new leadership in their quest to repeat as Power Esports Conference champions. Expect a detailed writeup next week as we dig into the results of this weekend, as Purdue, Penn State, Nebraska, Ohio State, Syracuse and many others go toe-to-toe in the largest Collegiate Smash invitational of all time.

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